Remember Me?
by Madam Facilier
Summary: "Is that so? I'm terribly sorry, but I can't seem to remember your name. If I can't find you in my memories, it means you have no value to me." Rufus Lore: A young man who ranks within Saber Tooth's top five. His magic allows him to memorize everything in his life and later wield them as weapons. He has it all: power, prestige, pride—even a sister whose name he had forgotten.
1. Chapter 1

**X790, March 16**

The doors opened loudly, alerting the occupants of the guild to their guild mates' entrance. "Open the door with your hands!" A dark blue-haired woman behind the bar yelled as she served a glass of wine to a mage. "Your foot doesn't solve everything!"

Sting shrugged it off. "If we lived in a world where everything was the same, you'd be a maid serving tea, Rietta."

"Sting," Rogue warned sharply, before he looked around the hall. "Where's Rufus?"

"Outside honing his skills. Reporter from Sorcerer Magazine is there too," Rietta snapped. With a snap of her fingers, empty cups and plates soared through the kitchen entrance behind her. "So who's the girl between you two?"

Sting and Rogue glanced at the blond-haired girl whose arms they restrained. She had to be around fourteen, from the Twin Dragons' point of view. "Right after we finished our mission, we heard this girl claiming—"

"It's not a claim," the girl interjected. "I AM—"

"—to be Rufus' little sister," Lector finished, crossing his arms. "Personally, I think she's after the fame and fortune."

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch chirped.

"Ah, another bluffer?" Rietta whistled loudly. One by one, plates of food and glasses floated out of the kitchen on individual trays. Each order was delivered to the correct mage and the trays floated back, stacking themselves neatly on Rietta's palm. "Which one is she, now? Thirty-three, thirty-four? Honestly, I've lost count."

"If she can't back up her lie, then thirty-five," Rogue said, his left eye glaring at the girl.

"Rufus will remember me," she insisted, bright green eyes glittering with pride. "After all, I'm his sister."

* * *

><p>"COOL!" Jason shouted, fist-pumping the air. "Saber Tooth's Rufus is super COOL!"<p>

Rufus sighed tiredly, nearly losing his patience with the reporter. Now he could see why Rogue preferred not to be around when Jason came for interviews.

"Show me one of your spells!" Jason requested, his camera in his hands.

The masked man with blond hair put his fingers to his temples. "Memory-Make," he murmured, calling forth his memories to use as the base of his spell.

"Rufus!" Rufus nearly swore under his breath as the doors to the rear courtyard opened. He did, however, appreciate the fact that Jason's attention was now on Sting and Rogue, along with the girl in between them.

"The Twin Dragons! COOL!"

"Is there something wrong?" Rufus asked.

"Nope," Sting replied, popping his 'p'. "Your _little sister_ just wanted to say hi." Letting go of the girl, Sting shoved her towards her supposed older brother.

"COOL! Rufus has a little sister!" Jason exclaimed, jotting it down in his notepad.

"Rufus-nii?" The girl said slowly. "Rufus-nii..."

The Twin Dragons and their Exceed partners stood by silently, wondering how Rufus would react. Even Jason refrained from yelling his catchphrase.

Finally, Rufus smiled. "It's been...so long, hasn't it? Ever since I joined this guild, I've wondered how you were doing."

Sting and Lector gaped at the duo whereas Rogue simply raised his eyebrows in surprise. Frosch covered his mouth with his paws.

Jason, however— "COOL! It's official!"

"I hope you're taking good care of yourself," Rufus continued. "I apologize for my absence these past years, but you were too young back then. Surely, you understand?"

"Y-yeah, I do!" his sister stammered. "I wasn't old enough to join a guild... but soon I will be."

"Excellent. I'd like to see your skills mature properly." Rufus turned away, preparing to reenter the guild hall when he stopped in his tracks. He spun around to face his sister. "How completely rude of me to forget! Can you introduce yourself to us, my dear? My colleagues and this reporter don't know your name." Sting and Rogue smirked, catching onto what Rufus just did.

As expected, the girl paled, shivering. "M-my name? But...Rufus-nii...you know my name. Weren't you supposed to i-introduce me?"

Slowly, Rufus gave his 'sister' a mocking smile. "Is that so? I'm _terribly_ sorry, but I can't seem to _remember_ your name. If I can't find you in my memories, it means you have no _value_ to me. You see, I don't look at trash twice. Especially—" He pointed an accusatory finger at the girl. "—if that trash doesn't hesitate to lie."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Jason made a T with his hands. "You mean this girl isn't your sister?"

Rufus glanced coldly at the girl, who turned as pale as a sheet in dread. "I have no idea who this child is," he stated firmly.

"Another bluffer, this time pretending to be Rufus' sister—UNCOOL!" Jason shouted, scratching out some parts of his notes before writing on a new page. "Well, see ya!" With that, Jason ran out of the courtyard, having all the information he wanted.

"A word of advice for you, little girl," Rufus informed. "The next time you want to pass yourself off as a relative of a Saber Tooth wizard, study the family tree. I don't _have_ a little sister. I never did. And I most certainly don't need to look after a con artist like you."

Near the verge of tears due to embarrassment, the girl attempted to run away, only to be grabbed by the arm by Sting. "Oh, no you don't," he declared, pulling her back before throwing her on the ground. "Did you really expect to fool us and get away without a scratch? Kid, we've had to deal with people like you for three years. How do we know you won't try this again?"

"I-I won't, I p-p-promise," she stuttered.

Lector fluttered to the ground, shaking his head. "Lady, we've heard that phrase so many times. But do they learn? Nope. You just gotta learn what we do to you guys the hard way."

"Any suggestions?" Sting asked, cracking his knuckles.

"Do what you want," Rufus told Sting dismissively.

"Leave me out of this." Rogue turned away from the scene, preferring not to take part in the activity.

"Fro wants out, too." Frosch followed his partner back to the guild.

Sting shrugged. "If you insist." He threw the girl over his shoulders like a potato sack, eliciting an indignant yelp from her. "If you need me, I'll be at the dumpster!" he called over his shoulder.

* * *

><p>"Incredibly tiring," Rufus noted, removing his hat.<p>

"How did it go?" Orga asked, sitting down in the chair opposite of Rufus. The black lightning mage returned hours ago from escorting a certain someone back to the guild.

"You should have seen it, Orga-san!" Lector exclaimed. "Rufus nearly had us all with the act, and then he asked the girl for her name!"

Orga snickered. "I bet she was planning to get a name out of Rufus, and live with it for the rest of her life. So what did you do afterwards?"

"I threw her out," Sting joined in, his hair slightly damp from a recent shower. Even a trip to where he went gave him a bad smell.

"Really? Just like that? No dramatic exit?"

"You didn't let me finish. I threw her out—at the dump where she belongs."

The three men laughed, amused by the fate that Sting gave the bluffer.

Ever since their first year of being Fiore's number one guild, people were claiming left and right to be a relative of a Saber Tooth mage. Sure, some of them passed the test—parents obviously, and the occasional siblings. But then there were the fakers: the lowest of the low. The ones after the fame and fortune and didn't care how they got it. Usually, they would play on the long-lost relative act. It got so bad that by the second year of Saber Tooth's reign, Jiemma gave his subordinates permission to interrogate the bluffers if they caught them in the act.

If they passed, give them nothing.

If they lied, give them hell.

"Incoming!" Orga ducked as three serving trays zipped over his head, but stacked themselves messily on the counter.

"No, not like that," Rietta said to a purple and white haired child. "You're close, but the form is messy. Where is the drama? Where is the flair! Where is—this!" In an instant, all empty serving trays soared back to Rietta and stacked themselves neatly on her hand. With a flick of her hand, the trays floated back to vacant tables. "Try again, Hestia."

Hestia spun around on her stool, scanning the room for all the trays that Rietta scattered. Slowly, they all floated off their surface, hovering there for a few seconds. "Second wave!" Rietta called out, causing any members standing by to duck as the trays flew back to the counter. This time, they eclipsed perfectly, not one tray out of place in the stack.

"All right," Rietta whistled appreciatively. "Any better and you could run the bar with me." To this, Hestia grinned widely.

The clock struck ten times, to which Orga rose from his seat. "Wrap it up, chef. It's way past Hestia's bedtime."

"But Orga-san—wah!" Hestia yelped in surprise as Orga picked her up with one hand and carried her up to her dorm on the third floor.

"Careful with her! She's precious cargo!" Rietta yelled up the stairs.

Hestia was the adopted child of Saber Tooth's guild master, after her own mother gave up on her. But Jiemma saw the potential she carried, so he took her in and raised her to mature that power. This meant that Minerva was her older sister, which made the entire guild treat her with respect. However, Minerva rarely gave her adopted sister a second glance.

"It's about that time too, isn't it?" Rufus got to his feet and started for the doors. "I'll have to depart for tonight. Turning in late isn't good for my memories."

* * *

><p>That night, as he tossed and turned in his sleep, Rufus had the strangest dream.<p>

_~Dream sequence~_

_Rufus was thirteen, having been a teenager for months now. But this scene wasn't very cheerful._

_He was standing before two graves, dressed in black. Everyone else was too. The dream was rather fuzzy, making it so that he couldn't see anything but the surnames: Lore._

_'That's right,' Rufus thought in his dream. 'My parents' funeral. So where is—'_

_Looking around, he found not his late grandmother, but a young girl holding onto him, crying. The Rufus in reality frowned as his dream self hugged the child, attempting to comfort her._

_The dream ended too soon, dissipating as he himself woke up._

_'But if that was me, then who was that girl?'_ Rufus thought as the last wisps of the dream faded.


	2. Chapter 2

Rufus entered the guild, slightly disoriented by last night's dream. The masked wizard kept wondering how a dream of a funeral could keep him up for most of the night. He once experienced more bizarre dreams, like the time he somehow dreamed that Orga tried to put one of his poems into song form and demolished the entire town with his horrible singing. After that dream, Rufus kept his poetry folder in a desk drawer at his apartment.

So if a singing nightmare made him cautious, how did a dream of his parents' funeral leave him frightened?

Some of the other mages gave him open looks as he dragged his feet with each step towards the bar. Rufus was known for being able to keep a calm composure. But no one ever saw him in a daze. Everyone assumed something was wrong with him today.

"—watch out, Rufus-san!" The young man felt something pass above his head, and now his head felt slightly lighter. For some reason, Hestia panicked as she jumped off her stool and approached Rufus. Why was there a hat in her hands? "I'm sorry, Rufus-san!"

"Hm?" Rufus felt his head, eyes widening when his hands met his scalp instead. "Oh!" Hestia held his hat out for him and he accepted it gratefully. "Thank you, Hestia."

"No problem, Rufus-san," she said as they walked to the bar together. Rufus helped Hestia onto the stool beside him; sometimes it was difficult for her to climb on. Rufus cringed, remembering vividly the day Hestia hit her head on the floor after trying to climb the stool when she was two. It took a not-too-cold pack and some funny faces from Lector and Frosch to get her to stop crying.

"What do you want, sleepy? Something sharp?" Rietta questioned as she sent a tray filled with breakfast plates over to the mage who ordered it. And she did this while she flipped several pancakes in one go. Rietta was known for her speed and proficiency, especially when it came to the kitchen. She wasn't Saber Tooth's head chef for nothing.

"Just..." Rufus yawned widely, blinking back exhausted tears. "A sharp tea," he agreed. "Something to rouse my memory."

At the same time that she placed all the pancakes on one plate, she reached an arm for a tea kettle filled with water and set it on the stove top. The water simmered in its container while Rietta sent another plate away on a serving tray.

The doors burst open, with Lector and Frosch rushing in and landing in front of Hestia.

"Lector? Frosch? What's wrong?" Hestia asked.

"Tia-kun... needs to hide soon...REALLY soon..." Frosch panted between breaths.

Rietta stopped what she was doing, listening to the conversation. "Is she—?"

"Mother alert!" Lector exclaimed.

"I'm home!" Hestia's ears twitched, along with those of the Exceed. They were too late. Or so they thought...

Without warning, Rietta grabbed Hestia and hid her under the counter on the chef's side of the bar. The space was actually roomy and clean, Hestia noticed.

Rufus could only sigh sadly at the predicament. Hestia was nearly five and a half now, so that meant the incident with her mother happened just last year. That year brought about the most changes to the child's life. Initially, Hestia's mother adored her, but by her second year of life, things began to change. Her mother's kind smile would seem more forced; she spent more time on job requests than she did with her daughter. And by the time Hestia was three, her mother disliked the mere sight of her, all because Hestia resembled her father. Strangely, Rufus thought it was only the originally pink hair, since Hestia's face was all her mother in his eyes.

But apparently, Hestia reminded her mother of her father, hence the hostility she showed to her child from then on. It got so bad that Rufus had to suppress her memories. The final session did the trick, but it costed Hestia her own mother. Rufus wondered if Hestia hated him for that, but he could never exactly tell. Hestia's hair was dyed from her natural pink to purple and white. And effective immediately, Hestia was taken under Jiemma's wing.

The masked wizard got up and approached the bulletin board. The neophytes that stood before it cleared a path for Rufus, allowing him to scan the board for a suitable job.

Rufus read over one of the flyers carefully, noting the short distance to the client's location. The town discovered nocturnal activity on the streets from some rogue wizards and needed them captured. The reward came to the grand total of 500,000 Jewels.

"Your tea." Rufus looked up from the paper to see Rietta slide a steaming cup towards him. "I had better not find one drop remaining when you leave."

Rufus smiled slyly. "I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

><p>Rufus cursed under his breath as he searched for an empty compartment. Of all the days for the train to be filled with people, why did it have to be today?<p>

"Kyah! It's Rufus!" A girl's voice squealed. A choir of similar pitched screams matched hers.

No matter where he went, there would always be someone who reacted like that. He was part of Saber Tooth's elite five, albeit the last. In descending order, Minerva was the strongest without a doubt, followed by Orga; there was some debate about whether Rogue was stronger than Sting or if it was the other way around; and Rufus ranked fifth. He supposed it did have something to do with who was in the guild longer, since he was the last of the elite five to enter Saber Tooth.

Rufus spotted a compartment with its door open. Assuming that it was empty, he slipped in, closing the door quietly.

"...mh..." Rufus wheeled around at the noise, realizing that it wasn't as empty as he originally thought.

Sleeping in a sitting position, back to the wall and legs sprawled on the seat, was a pale boy younger than Rufus himself.

"May I sit here?" Rufus knew it was stupid of him to ask. His entrance didn't seem to hinder the boy's nap, so why would he answer his question? But to his surprise, the boy seemed to turn his head and nod to Rufus. Yet he never woke up.

Slightly perturbed by the boy's gesture, Rufus sat down. With nothing else to do besides stare out the window, he decided to take a closer look at his fellow passenger. Judging by his clothes, he looked like an ordinary schoolboy. Over a simple white shirt, a buttoned-up black vest, and a blue tie was a blazer the same color as the tie. His red pants had to come down to the middle of his shin, which made his dark boots visible. Strangely, the boy wore a navy blue cap that had to be too big for his blonde head.

Rufus frowned in confusion as he took note of the most curious part of the boy. With each inhale, his blonde hair darkened until it reached light brown; with each exhale, his hair lightened to its natural blonde. And the cycle continued. "Interesting," he murmured, taking his eyes off the boy to stare out the window.

"...dreams..." Rufus looked back at the boy, but he was still breathing evenly. Was he sleep-talking? "Some say...they're the future that has yet to happen..."

"Is that so?" Rufus mused, deciding to engage the curious boy in his sleep. "Then what are they to you?"

"Me?" The boy yawned widely, but showed no sign of waking. "Dreams...are a heart's way of saying...you've forgotten something...Tell me...what have you forgotten?"


	3. Chapter 3

_"...Tell me...what have you forgotten?"_

Those words surprised Rufus. No—they _amused_ him. What this boy was suggesting in his sleep was laughable; Rufus forgetting something? That was the same as Fairy Tail actually winning the games this year: _impossible_.

Despite how ridiculous this scene appeared to be, he couldn't help but note how entertaining this boy was. A smile formed on the masked wizard's face, something the sleeping boy would never see. But when he spoke, his tone contrasted with his expression. "Your words are in vain. Everything that happens to me, I remember without fail. It's impossible for me to forget. But I will say this: whatever can't be found in my memories has no value to me."

"...I see..." The blonde boy snored lightly, something which got on Rufus' nerves because of Orga. Every year when they made their way to Crocus, if Orga fell asleep on the way, it was _hell_ for everyone riding with him. "...so if you can't remember anything at all...if a person lost all memory of who they were...what would you say to that?"

"Then that hypothetical person," Rufus replied, "had no value to begin with." _Such is the way of the world_, he thought to himself, recalling a time when a wizard failed to return from a mission for months. Jiemma refused to dispatch a search party for his subordinate and then the wizard came back, devoid of memories except for the fact they were an apparent member of Saber Tooth.

And apparent became former when Jiemma dismissed his subordinate like a teacher would to a class.

"...Is that really what you think?" he asked, his breathing slow and steady as ever. Was it his imagination or was the boy's hair focused more on the shade of brown?

"It's not a thought. It's a belief."

The boy fell silent; Rufus could have sworn he saw the hint of a malevolent grin on the child's face, making him wonder if he had been awake this whole time. But as he exhaled, his hair paled back to its fair shade. This time the boy yawned widely, blinking several times as if he were beginning to stir. But a sudden snore told an annoyed Rufus that he wasn't.

"*yawn* Well...if you say so...then it must be true."

The train screeched to a halt as the conductor announced their current location. "Here's my stop," the boy mumbled sleepily, getting up from his side of the compartment to slide the door open.

Even Rufus couldn't deny that this boy was interesting as he said honestly, "Should you reenter my memories, I'd like to see what you have to say when you're awake."

"Hm." The schoolboy rounded a corner to leave, but not before he said, "_À bientôt, Monsieur Lore_."

Rufus' head jerked to attention at the change in the boy's voice. Not only did he speak another language—not to mention that it was his late grandmother's native language—but he did so with a perfect accent to his voice, not even a break in his intonation.

But there was still one thing that caught Rufus' attention. It wasn't the fact that the boy somehow knew who he was when he didn't give out his name, but one curious thing about the sleeping child.

"How do you speak Minstrel in your sleep?"

* * *

><p><strong>Lamia Scale<strong>

It was a slow day for the second-best guild of Fiore. It had yet to become noon, and many members were out on a job. And some of them were conducting other business.

The doors opened widely, revealing a man with unusually large eyebrows with a dog-like man accompanying him. "We're home!" Toby announced loudly.

"Quiet down," Yuka advised he approached the bar, setting down his messenger bag.

"Well?" Ooba Babasaama, the guild master of Lamia Scale, spun into view. Her arms spun in a circular fashion as she spoke. "Any luck?"

Yuka shook his head. "Nothing, Obaba. Jura and Lyon are still helping with the search party, though."

"Tell them to search harder! They're not putting their heart into it!" Ooba yelled at them. The duo had their ears covered at her outburst. As she spun away, she said to herself, "I know you're not dead, Makarov. Can't you hear your own guild calling out to you?"

The doors opened again, but the newcomer wasn't one of Ooba's subordinates. The newcomer was—a newcomer. The blonde schoolboy walked in casually, taking no note of the open glances he was getting from the resident mages of Lamia Scale.

"Hey, kid!" Toby waved a hand in front of the boy but he payed no attention to the dog-like man and simply walked past. Ticked off, he grabbed for the boy's cap. "Don't ignore people when they're talking to—!"

Toby never got to finish what he meant to say. What happened next went by so fast, Yuka wondered if it actually happened. One minute, the boy grabbed the hand that was on his cap. And now, Toby was somehow pinned to the ground, his hands restrained at his back by the boy, who stood on Toby's back along with his hands.

"I dare you to touch my hat again," the boy snarled dangerously. "The next time you try to touch it...I wonder what you'll use in place of those hands of yours."

"Who is that kid?" One mage whispered to his friend.

"I dunno," the other replied, "but how did he move like that?"

The blonde boy's head bobbed once and his eyes opened slowly. He stretched his arms, yawning widely. "Wait..." The boy blinked as he took note of his surroundings. "What was I doing?"

Jaws dropped at his statement. How could he not know what he just did to Toby?

As if he heard their thoughts, the boy looked down and saw Toby under his feet. "Ah!" Immediately, the boy got off and helped Toby back up. "Are you all right, mister?" he asked, panicking.

"WHAT?" Everyone stared in disbelief at the boy. One second he had Toby pinned down and threatened and now he was asking if he was all right?

"How can you have the nerve to ask that?!" Toby yelled indignantly, pulling his hand away from the boy.

"O-kay? I'm sorry for helping?" he apologized in a small questioning voice. The boy looked around the guild filled with dumbstruck mages. He snapped his fingers. "That's right...I was gonna join a guild...So where's the guild master?" Still gaping at him, everyone pointed to Ooba, who even pointed a finger to herself.

Everyone watched as the mysterious boy made his way towards Ooba. He came to a stop before her and bowed. "Ooba Babasaama, right?" Ooba nodded slowly, never taking her eyes off the boy.

The boy came back up, determination set in his eyes. "I'd like to join your guild."

"HUH?" The entire guild hall chimed.

"No way!" Toby shouted at the boy.

"But he pinned Toby!" Another called.

"Don't tell them that!" Toby begged.

"I couldn't even see him," Yuka added.

Ooba held up a hand, bringing her guild's opinions to a halt. "Young man...what are you?"

"Pardon?" The boy asked, confused.

"You came in here...you pinned down one of my fastest mages..."

"I did?"

"And somehow...you don't even know your own feat...how?" she finished.

"I...I did that?" The boy held his head momentarily, confusion etched clearly on his face. Realization soon took its place. "Oh! Well...some people consider it a talent...but according to them—since I'm never awake to see it—" He pointed a pinkie at himself. "—I'm an active sleeper!" he laughed to himself.

"An active sleeper?" One mage exclaimed.

"You mean he's a sleepwalker?"

"Sleepwalker, my foot! He's a sleep-_fighter_!"

"No way!"

"Hush!" Ooba ordered. At once, her guild quieted down. She scratched her chin. "Active sleeping, huh? Now that's a talent worth bragging about. I wouldn't mind having a sleep-fighter...but can you use magic?"

"Why not?" The boy spun around, pointing his pinkie finger at Yuka's bag. The bag floated high off the table before dropping back down at the same pace.

"I see..." Obaba retreated to her office.

"He passed the test, Obaba!" A chubby man called out.

"He seems pretty cool, too," another added.

"But he is young," Yuka shot in response.

"Too young!" Toby added angrily.

"All right, shut it or you spin!" Ooba returned with a large binder, a pen, and a guild stamp. She set it down on the bar, making Yuka and the boy jolt at the sound that was made. Ooba opened the binder, revealing many pages with names written across each page. "You're going to have to spell your own name, sonny," she grumbled as she flipped through until she stumbled upon a fresh page. "This helps the Council keep track of who goes where, so get to it!"

Not wanting to cross his soon-to-be master, the blonde boy took the pen and wrote quickly, filling in the essential information such as name, birthday, age, etc. Though he peeked over his shoulder inconspicuously, Yuka couldn't make out the boy's handwriting.

As soon as he set the pen down, Ooba brandished the stamp. "Now where do you want it, boy?"

"Uh..." The boy looked at his body, wondering where he should get his mark when one spot in particular caught his eye. Pulling the zipper down on his left boot, he tapped his ankle. "Here, please. In green."

"Are you sure?" Ooba received a nod in response, to which she sighed. "Next time, choose a place that won't stink," she said as she pressed down on the boy's ankle. When she removed the stamp, the tattoo of her guild in green stared back at her. "Welcome to the guild—er..." Ooba squinted at the boy's paper, unable to decipher his handwriting. "On second thought, can you tell me your name?"

"My name's Platin," he answered. "...Just Platin, if you will."

**Author's note:**

**Eesh, people. Is one review really too hard?**

**Fiore is one of the countries of Earthland, Minstrel is another. Later on, I plan on mentioning another country. And in this story, I made Minstrel the Earthland equivalent of our France.**

**And there was only a bit of French to this. For example:**

**_À bientôt —_**See you later

**And to any francophone out there, I am sorry if I spelled the French translation wrong. **

**French is the third language of Madam Facilier.**


	4. Do Not Disturb

**April 2, X790**

"We're back!" Lyon called as he entered Lamia Scale's base. Jura followed after him, looking rather disheartened.

"How was the search?" Ooba asked, spinning into view.

Jura shook his head. "Nothing at all, Ooba-dono. No matter how much we searched, there were no traces of Fairy Tail's core members."

"Is that so, Jura?" Ooba sighed sadly, knowing that if Jura said it, then it was most likely correct. "Very well. How is Fairy Tail coping?"

"They refuse to give up hope," Jura said, his voice containing admiration. "But even the strong-willed are beginning to lose hope."

"Hey, who's this kid?" Jura looked away from his conversation with Ooba to see what attracted Lyon's attention. The ice mage stood before Platin, who dozed away with his head on the table. Lyon slammed his palms against the table. "Hey, wake up!"

"You don't want to do that," Yuka suggested.

"Indeed, he is unfamiliar to me." Jura stroked his beard. "Who is he, Ooba-dono?"

"Who?" Ooba spun in the direction of Lyon and saw who her top two mages meant. "His name's Platin, from what he told me two weeks ago. He could be pulling my leg with the names, though. His handwriting looks like a girl's—"

"Nap time's over, kid! Wake up and introduce yourself!" Lyon put his hands together. "Ice-Make: Sword!"

"Don't wake him up, Lyon!" Ooba called in reaction, but it was too late. Ooba knew he would only strike the table, but that still wouldn't change what would follow, if she was correct.

One of Platin's feet kicked off the ground, launching him out of the way as Lyon's sword made contact with the table and got itself stuck there. Lyon tugged at his creation, not taking notice of the blonde-haired, blue-capped boy falling to the ground behind him. But before Platin touched the ground, he inverted himself in midair. His left foot shot out and kicked Lyon in the back; the hit was enough to send Lyon and the table flying towards the wall.

"Ah, there he flies," Yuka commented.

"Oon," Toby yawned, since it was still early.

"...That's why I said not to wake him," Ooba muttered, her eyes covered.

"Platin-dono's a very light sleeper, it seems," Jura noted.

"He's not a light sleeper, Jura. The boy never woke up at all."

"Hm?"

On cue, Platin's head bobbed shortly before he opened his eyes, blinking them rapidly. He stretched his arms and yawned. "Good morning," he mumbled sleepily. "What's for breakfast?"

"Well, some people got a serving of Lyon-got-his-butt-handed-over-by-a-kid just a minute ago," A chubby man informed Platin, gesturing towards said wizard.

"Ah..." Platin sweated nervously. "Did I do that in my sleep?" The only answers he received were hasty nods. Platin bowed his head dejectedly. "One more apology to make for my sleep-fighting."

Jura's jaw dropped when he heard Platin's response. "Platin-dono fights in his sleep?"

"The poor boy spends most of the day sleeping like a cat," Ooba said, spinning her arms around each other. "And if someone tries to wake him up, he attacks them in his sleep."

"I...I see..." In truth, it frightened Jura that a child could fight in his sleep. The notion of it seemed impossible, but he couldn't deny what he witnessed with his own eyes.

"*Yawn* What's on the request board today?" Platin walked over to the bulletin board and scanned it for a mission he wanted.

"Erm...shouldn't someone accompany him?" Jura asked. "Platin-dono is quite young to go off on his own."

"Yes...you have a point there, Jura," Ooba murmured, scratching her cheek. "He does need supervision."

"Master Ooba!" Platin came up to Ooba and Jura, holding out the mission he wanted to take on. "I need your approval!"

"You have my blessing," Ooba said. "But Platin...it does worry me that you're going on your own...especially when you're asleep most of the time. And the mission you picked isn't one that you can complete on your own, even though I have faith in your capabilities. Why don't you go off with another person?"

"Ah..." Platin rubbed his temples. "I guess sleeping clouds my judgement."

Ooba merely nodded in silent agreement. "So who's going with—aha! Yuka! Toby!" The duo came to attention when their master called their names. "Accompany Platin on his first mission, will you?"

"Why us?" Toby shouted.

"Don't argue. She wants us to go so we can watch over him," Yuka said.

"Exactly," Ooba affirmed. "Remember, Platin is still young, so help him when he needs it."

"Oon."

"Got it, Obaba."

"Now, so you're all familiar with each other—" Ooba cleared her throat. "Yuka, Toby, this is Platin. He's new to this guild, so make him feel comfortable here." The duo accompanying Platin nodded in acknowledgement. "Platin, these are Yuka Suzuki and Toby Horhorta. Yuka is the one with huge eyebrows and Toby—I'm sure you remember him—is the one you attacked in your sleep two weeks ago." Jura raised his eyebrows at this comment that made some of his colleagues snicker.

"Don't say that in front of Jura, granny!" Toby wailed.

"I hope you listen to me when I say this, and I mean it: get along, boys."

* * *

><p>"Th-thanks for coming with me," Platin yawned as they boarded the train. "Even if it was on Ooba's orders."<p>

"And you should be grateful—!" Before Toby could finish his sentence, Yuka elbowed him in the gut to shut him up.

"No problem, kid," Yuka answered. "And just so you know, you're allowed to call the master Obaba or granny. She doesn't mind as long as you don't call her hag."

"I see..." Platin yawned again just when they found seats for themselves. "Well, wake me up when we get there!"

"Wait, you're sleeping again?" Yuka sweated as Platin snored softly back into dreamland. He frowned as he watched Platin's hair shift from brown to blonde with each breath. "What is this kid?"

"Sleeping again?" Toby yelled at the sleeping boy.

"Quiet down!" Yuka hissed. "He looks...at ease. Like he was sleep-deprived for so long. What are you up to?" he added abruptly.

Toby rubbed his hands together, an evil glint in his eyes. "Kukuku...let's see what's under his hat."

"Don't try it," Yuka groaned. "Didn't the last time teach you anything?"

Toby barely had his hand over Platin's hat when the boy said sharply, "Touch the hat and your hand says goodbye!"

Yuka and Toby jolted, alarmed by Platin's threat. The Anti-Mage had to look at Platin carefully to make sure he wasn't faking. But the boy's breathing was as steady as ever and his eyes were closed, but not screwed shut.

"Sleep-talking," Toby said, reaching for the hat. This time, Platin's hand shot out, choking Toby's wrist in a vicegrip. "Ouch! Let go!"

"What did I just say about the hat?" Platin growled. Yuka noticed that Platin's hair was now a light shade of brown, and some parts of it seemed to cover his left eye. The boy opened his right eye, which matched his hair in shade. The dark circle under his eye made him look too sinister for his age. "Tell me, are you that desperate to die young?"

"Pl-Platin, let him go!" Yuka stammered nervously, but firmly.

"Hmph." Platin let go of Toby's wrist and swatted it away. "You're lucky that you caught me during my nap. But strike three, and you're out." With that, Platin closed his right eye; his hair lightened to his natural blond before darkening as he inhaled.

Yuka and Toby sweated at the boy's antics. The dog-like man moaned in pain as he massaged his wrist.

Rule number one:** Never** try to mess with Platin in his sleep.

**Really, people. Is ONE review really that hard? I'm not saying that reviews are required, but they give inspiration.**


	5. Descent

**X790, April 2, 9:45 PM**

**Saber Tooth**

Plates and glasses floated off tabletops and soared through the air, curving dramatically before they retreated through the entrance to the kitchen. "Voilà!" Rietta exclaimed, dusting off her hands. "Now you're getting the hang of it, Hestia!"

"Ahem." Rietta looked at the person who said that. Rufus stood on the other side of the bar, holding a plate with a sly smile. "You missed one."

The head chef snatched the plate from him. "You just had to ruin her moment, Lore," Rietta grumbled.

Rufus sat down beside Hestia, who rested her head on the counter. "It was still a good effort, Hestia," Rufus said to the child. "I remember where you need to work on your magic so you can try again tomorrow."

"Mh..." Hestia made no signs of acknowledging Rufus' words.

"Hestia," Rufus tried again, "are you mad because I took that plate away?"

"...Zzz..." Rietta and Rufus took a closer look at their master's adopted child. Lo and behold, Hestia was fast asleep.

"I forgot about her curfew again," Rietta groaned, rubbing the space between her eyes. Rufus paid no mind to the chef's words and observed the sleeping girl. He hadn't seen her so at peace for a while, not since...

All of a sudden, Rufus chuckled into his hand. Rietta stared at him openly. "Is there something funny about Hestia sleeping?"

"No, no," Rufus assured, the last laughs dying down. "It's just...she reminded me of this sleeping child I met on a train."

"And that was funny?"

"No, what was curious was the fact that he talked in his sleep."

Rietta snorted. "My foot, Lore. If he actually talked in his sleep, I'll make Quiche Lorraine for breakfast."

Rufus' eyes glittered at the chef's proposal. He could already taste that creamy, open-faced pie. "That's not even the most interesting part; it's what he _said_ to me that caught my attention."

"Oh? How so?" Rietta asked as she wiped some drool off of Hestia's cheek with a napkin.

Rufus put his fingers to his temple. "'Dreams are a heart's way of saying you've forgotten something. Tell me, what have you forgotten?'" he quoted.

The head chef roared with laughter, only to die down in fear of waking Hestia up. Her short-lived laughter did draw the attention of the wizards still in the guild, though. "A kid on the train said that to you?"

"In his sleep."

"As if that's possible!" Rietta chortled as she wiped free the plates and glasses of water. "The day you forget something is when those fairies take home the title of number one!"

"Couldn't have said it better," Rufus agreed.

"But if we're still on the topic of sleep—" Rietta handed Hestia off to Rufus, who shifted her weight a bit so he could balance her. "—then you put Hestia to bed."

"So assuming we're still on the topic of sleep until I leave—"

"Something else you want to say about the sleep-talking kid?" Rietta questioned.

Rufus smiled. "No. You're making Quiche Lorraine tomorrow."

"Zzz...that sounds yummy..." Hestia mumbled sleepily.

* * *

><p>After Rufus tucked Hestia into bed, he took a glance around her room. So many things changed about this space: once it was bright and cheerful, filled with toys and stuffed plushies. Now it seemed to match the mood of the guild: proud, powerful, but conserved.<p>

Many of Hestia's childhood toys were gone, replaced by books and practical items. A tall bookshelf sat against one wall, with most of the books on the lower shelves where she could reach them. The higher shelves contained the few toys Jiemma let her keep after he took her in: a stuffed tiger doll, which sat on top of a lion doll; a miniature Sting doll which sat against the counterpart of Rogue, both made by Anthea during her final year of life. If one took an extremely good look, then one would find a bunny plush behind those dolls; Sting won this for Hestia last year when he sneaked her out.

"...Rufus-san..." Rufus wheeled around at Hestia's voice. "Story..."

"You're supposed to be sleeping, Hestia," Rufus said.

"...Not tired," she mumbled.

Rufus sighed with a smile. "Very well. What do you want me to tell you?"

"..." For a moment, Rufus believed that Hestia went back to sleep. But then, "What were *yawn* what were your parents like?" The blond memory wizard froze, unsure of how he should answer that request. "Master's my parent now...but no one in the guild...talks about theirs...how come?"

Rufus sat down in a chair beside Hestia's bed. "It's not that they don't want to talk about their family, Hestia. But Master...he rarely allows family members to join the guild, since he believes they'll only drag each other down. The only exceptions he ever made were you and your mother, and that was Lady Anthea's last wish."

"O-oh..." Hestia yawned. "But st-still...what were they like...before they came here?"

The Memory-Make wizard was silent for a long time. "You would have to ask them, Hestia, as long as Master doesn't hear it." He took a deep breath. "You said you wanted to know about mine?"

"Mh-hm."

Rufus dug through his memories, searching through them for a tale he could tell her. "I remember I grew up with my parents in Crocus," he began. "My grandmother was born in Minstrel, so I grew up speaking a second language so that I could communicate with her when we visited. Both of my parents were devoted to magical development, and they worked in a lab within the capital. And I was happy." Rufus lowered his head, shadows falling over his face. "But...five years ago...X785...something went wrong."

"...what happened?" Hestia asked in a small voice.

Rufus removed his hat, holding it close to his heart. "There was an explosion...and it began in the basement of the lab where my parents worked. The building collapsed...and it was in flames...even now, I remember trying to calm a little girl who couldn't have been older than you, Hestia." Rufus began to stroke the feather on his hat. "After their funeral, I had to live with my grandmother, who remained in the town where she settled after she immigrated. I only lived with her for a year before she passed on, too. So there I was, an orphan with no other family to live with and money that couldn't be used until I turned seventeen. It almost looked like I would have to go to an orphanage...but by then, I was old enough to join a guild, and I had the talent to do so."

"...Zzz..." By now, Hestia was completely out cold. Exhaustion took over her sometime during the story.

"Good night, Hestia."

* * *

><p><em>~Dream sequence~<em>

_A thirteen-year old Rufus called up to someone, fear in his eyes. The real Rufus looked to where his younger self was yelling and saw the little girl from his last dream, balancing atop a high picket fence._

_The little girl gave Rufus—he had no idea if she saw the real him—a thumbs up and executed a pirouette where she stood. Rufus had to admit how dangerous it looked, since she was perched on a thin wooden beam. She lost her balance halfway through and tumbled, but the younger Rufus caught her._

_He scolded her, probably talking about how dangerous her feat was. The girl bowed her head and said what must have been an apology. Dream Rufus finally smiled and hugged the girl._

_The two children ran towards the house, where Rufus' grandmother waited in the doorway. The real Rufus tried to call out to them, with questions wishing to leave his lips._

**_Why are you in my dreams?_**

**_Who are you?_**

**Remember guys, reviews are appreciated!**


	6. Sleep Deprived

**Bonjour, bonjour, bonjour! Madam Facilier has returned!**

**Ah, je suis contente!  
><strong>

**—Translation: I am happy.**

**Why? On Saturday, I went to the regional World Language Declamation contest for my school and brought back first place in level three cultural trivia for French! My joy at the result allowed me to type faster than I normally would and give you this!**

**X790, April 2, 10:30 PM**

Ten Vulcans were piled in a heap, all defeated and unconscious. The blue-capped blonde boy stretched his arms out. "Was that it?"

"Th-that's the last of them," Yuka yawned tiredly. "Platin, you gave me your drowsiness."

"He's more like a living sleep virus!" Toby interjected, taking one last scratch at a Vulcan for good measure before joining his fellow wizards on the trail.

"H-hey, it's not my fault that yawning's contagious," Platin defended as they made their way back to town through the mountains.

"I was joking, you guys," Yuka said, trying to keep himself awake by telling himself that they were only ten minutes away from town. He kept yawning, wishing that he could be at the inn, sleeping in a soft bed for the night until their return to the guild tomorrow. "Let's head to town hall and then we can sleep."

"Oon."

"Got it."

Platin walked past Yuka and Toby, seemingly putting himself in charge of leading his guild mates back to town. It was then that Yuka noticed something about the blonde boy: he didn't have the same nighttime exhaustion that they were going through. Well, defeating the Vulcans was partly the reason they were fatigued, but while the Wave and the dog-like man lagged behind, Platin surged forward.

"Hey, Platin."

The boy stopped as soon as he heard Yuka address him. "Yuka?"

"How is it," the Wave began, "that while we're exhausted and want to sleep, you have energy to spare?"

"Er..." Platin rubbed the back of his blonde head, searching for an answer. "I...I..."

"Wait. Unless—" Yuka pointed a finger at Platin. "Unless it's because you slept for most of the day so that you're totally alert at night?"

"Yeah, exactly!" The boy agreed.

Platin's quick response to his theory struck Yuka odd, but he decided to ignore it...for now. "That must be a pain."

"I have a weak internal clock. Hey, how come Toby keeps rubbing his wrist?" Platin asked abruptly, catching the dog-like man massage his wrist for the twentieth time today.

"Er..." Now it was Yuka and Toby's turn to rub the back of their heads, the latter using his uninjured hand. After the train ride, the two were very careful around Platin after witnessing his little outburst.

"Did I...do something in my sleep again?" Platin asked dejectedly, recognizing their reactions.

"Well...I'm not sure if it _was_ in your sleep," Yuka started. Which was true, because he had no idea if Platin had faked his slumber. "But—"

"You nearly broke my wrist!" Toby yelled bluntly. He received a jab to the midriff by Yuka.

"You could have delivered it gently!"

"Oh...I did?" Platin hung his head, waves of depression hanging over his head. "This really has to stop someday."

"Hey, it's not that bad." Yuka kicked a pebble as he and Toby caught up to Platin. "Well, it wouldn't be bad if you could control who you attacked in your sleep," the Wave added after much thought.

"Like someone other than me!"

"I guess…" The clouds parted, shining light on the trail. Platin looked at the sky. "Hey, it's the moon!"

"Hm?" Yuka stared up at the full moon, which bathed the trio in silvery light.

"Oon."

Darting around, Platin found a ledge to stand on so he could see the moon better. "It's so pretty..."

"It's just the moon," Yuka said, the sight of the satellite stirring up old memories inside him.

Neither he nor Toby, not even Sherry knew that they would spend three years in vain trying to thaw Deliora from a unmeltable prison. But the demon killed their families so many years ago, and they all wanted revenge. They didn't stop to think about the demon village on Galuna Island, where they gathered Moon Drip. Not only did they affect their memories of who they really were, but they didn't hesitate to try to destroy them when Fairy Tail decided to meddle.

"Fiore's way too quiet with Fairy Tail in the gutters," Yuka muttered.

"Don't get too close to the edge, it's dangerous!" he heard Toby yell.

The Wave's attention went to what made Toby yell this time. Platin stood at the edge of the cliff, eyes glazed as if entranced by the night sky. "Platin, get back here!" Yuka shouted. "Wait..." He watched Platin's eyes droop and his body fell forward, threatening to fall off the cliff—and into the rocky terrain below.

This time, both he and Toby screamed, "How can you sleep at a time like this?!" The men scrambled to get to Platin before he fell, but they were too late. The blue-capped boy fell off the cliff, free-falling towards the treacherous mountain trail just below them.

"Platin, WAKE UP!" Yuka yelled at the top of his lungs.

Before he could hit the first tree, Platin flipped in midair and landed on a branch with ease. He then leaped at an impossible height, performing a series of acrobatic feats before landing before his guild mates, who gaped at him.

"_Je suis desolée, messieurs_," Platin apologized as he adjusted his hat, his voice strangely accented and a bit higher pitched. "It was never my intention to scare anyone."

"Platin...you…how…" Yuka couldn't form a complete sentence, still dumbstruck by what just occurred.

Platin directed his sight towards the moon, blue eyes shining in the light. "It's just that _la lune_ looked _très belle_, so I—"

"You idiot!" Platin covered his ears from the combined outbursts of Yuka and Toby. "You made us worried sick when you fell off! How can you say that—" Yuka stopped halfway through his rant. "Were you speaking Minstrel earlier?" he questioned, recognizing Platin's accent to be similar to anyone who lived in southern Fiore, particularly on the coast. Minstrel and Fiore possessed sea routes with each other and occasionally brought immigrants and travelers into the other country.

"Uh, yeah?" Platin answered hesitantly as he removed his hands from his ears.

"Do you mind translating what you said earlier?"

"Well...can you tell me the parts I said in Minstrel?"

"You're making us remember it for you?" Toby exclaimed angrily, making Platin cover his ears again.

"I'm sorry! It's just that…well, I grew up speaking Minstrel and English, so I tended to mix the two together when I was talking without realizing it!" Platin defended, the accent and higher tone absent in his speech.

"How can you speak two languages at once without realizing it?!"

"That's easy for an idiot like you to—!"

"Both of you, enough!" By now, Yuka was exhausted. He wanted to sleep, maybe even take a leaf out of Platin's book and sleepwalk back to their hotel, but keeping Platin and Toby from going at each other was not how he wanted to spend the night. "You!" He pointed a finger at Toby, who flinched. "Be nice! And you!" Yuka did the same with Platin, who jolted. "One more stunt like that and I'll strap you to your bed!"

"Y-yes, sir!" Platin conceded.

"Oon~Platin's in trouble," Toby snickered behind Yuka.

"What did I just say?" Yuka barked to the dog-like man, making him cower. "Come on!" he yelled to his companions, continuing where they stopped on the trail. "The sooner we get back to town, the better!"

Not wanting to cross Yuka directly behind his back, Platin and Toby followed him back to town without delay.

* * *

><p>That night, while Toby snored away and Yuka hugged his pillow in his sleep, Platin was the only member of the team who didn't sleep. Even though he went through the trouble of putting on comfortable sleep clothes, his body refused to retire for the night.<p>

The boy adjusted his cap over his head to make sure that it wouldn't slip off. "Can't I get a good night's sleep?"

_What about all those naps today?_ a voice in Platin's head pointed out.

_Those don't count_, _and you know it_, another voice said calmly.

"Both of you, shut up," Platin muttered as quietly as possible.

_Yes, please do shut up._

_Never!_ Platin flinched at the harsh whip-like tone of the first voice. _A true Minstrel never yields!_

_Well, we can't all be Minstrel, can we, escargot lover?_

Platin pulled his hat over his ears and buried his face in the pillow, hoping to muffle the voices bickering in his mind.

* * *

><p>"That was the best sleep I've ever had!" Yuka let out in relief as they left the inn.<p>

"Oon."

"Platin, you?" Yuka did a double-take when he saw that Platin, instead of following them, slept on a bench nearby.

"Didn't you sleep at all last night?" Toby yelled at the boy. Platin simply dozed away, unable to hear Toby's words.

"Let's take that as a no," Yuka suggested. He blinked, noting that Platin's dark circles were a bit darker than before. Seeing the boy sleep without a care in the world made him feel a bit sympathetic. "You must be that sleep deprived, huh?"

"But he takes those naps every day!" the dog-like man pointed out. His words were loud enough to make Platin wake from his slumber.

"*Yawn* What time is it?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Well, we got half an hour until our train arrives," Yuka informed, looking at the clock post nearby. "So we could grab breakfast and look around until then."

"Mm-hm." Platin stood up, stretching. Dark green eyes combined with dark circles seemed to enhance Platin's sleep deprived appearance. "That sounds nice," he agreed. "I think I saw a magic shop yesterday. Can I go there first?"

"Let's do it." Platin set off first, with Toby and Yuka trailing after. The Wave had to admit how much better Platin looked when something caught his eye—

Yuka stopped in his tracks, recalling last night's events and what happened just seconds ago. There was something about Platin last night that Yuka knew for sure wasn't present this morning. Particularly—

"Weren't Platin's eyes _blue_ last night?"

**Author's note:**

**Would you like some translations?**

**_Je suis desolée—_**I am sorry

_**Messieurs**—_Plural for mister

**La lune—**the moon

_**Très belle**—_Very beautiful

**Remember to support my other story, **Anathema**!**


	7. First Rival

**X790, April 3, 11:00 AM**

"We're finally home!" Toby shouted as he and Yuka entered Lamia Scale's base.

"You don't have to scream it out loud," Yuka reminded while Ooba spun towards them.

"How was the mission?" the elderly woman asked, spinning her arms around each other.

"It went off without a hitch, granny."

"But how was_ Platin_?"

"Er..." Yuka rubbed the space between his abnormally large eyebrows, trying to keep his composure. "About that, Obaba—"

"He's a living hazard, granny!" Toby interjected from across the guild hall.

"Quit butting in!" The Wave yelled back before turning back to his guild master, who waited for him to continue. "You already know Platin's not a happy camper when we try to wake him up—"

"Toby and Lyon experienced it firsthand, I believe," Ooba added.

"OBABA!" The aforementioned wizards exclaimed indignantly.

"Please don't interrupt," Yuka said. "But wake him up and he's a monster! He threatened to murder Toby!"

"Oh?" Yuka's comment caught Ooba's attention enough to make her stop spinning her arms. Not just her, but many of the wizards in the guild looked at them after hearing what the Wave said. "What happened?"

"Right when we got on the train, he took one of his naps. Toby wanted to mess around with him, but the thing that gets me is how he knew what Toby was planning to do in his sleep."

"And when did Toby decide to pull this prank?"

"Just a minute after he fell asleep—"

"There you have it," Ooba declared. "No person can close their eyes and be totally asleep in one minute. Platin couldn't have been out cold completely when Toby wanted to mess with him."

"But you should have seen him when we woke him up!" Yuka cried, trying to get Ooba to understand what they saw. "His hair and eyes turned brown—he nearly broke Toby's wrist!"

"And what was Toby trying to do to the boy?" Ooba asked, now understanding why Toby's wrist was bandaged.

"He wanted to take Platin's cap off—"

"And there we go: the hat is important to Platin," the old lady concluded, spinning her arms again. "It's so special, he's the only person allowed to touch it."

"But no hat is worth killing a person over!" Yuka protested. "You know what he said?_ 'You're lucky that you caught me during my nap, but strike three and you're out.'_ Just try to explain that, Obaba!"

"It means Toby has to keep on his toes next time he's around Platin."

"Quit defending the kid, Obaba!"

"I'm not favoring the child, Yuka, and you know it!" Ooba snapped. "He just happens to be sleep deprived."

"And look where it almost got him last night—he fell off a cliff!" Yuka hissed.

"He what? Is he all right?"

"His naps are going to be the death of him one day, Obaba! He fell off a cliff in his sleep—and he _conveniently_ woke up during his fall! Then the kid decided to be an acrobat while we were panicking!"

"Platin was lucky to have known simple acrobatics," Ooba said. "Who knows what would have happened if he didn't when he woke up."

"You're defending him again!" Yuka yelled. "You always dote on the youngest members—"

"Because they're still growing children who have much to learn!" Ooba responded. "And I'm grateful for Platin's naps—he doesn't have to hear us quarreling about him!"

A chubby man tapped his master's shoulder. "Uh, Obaba?"

"What?"

"Platin's not here."

Yuka froze as Ooba turned towards him slowly after she scanned the guild hall for her youngest member. "Yuka...where is Platin?"

"I...he..." To be honest, Yuka had no idea. He could have sworn Platin followed him and Toby out of the train—but wasn't he following them while riding something else as well? And wasn't he sleeping as well? "At the last town...we went with him to a magic shop—"

"Don't tell me you left him there!"

"No!" Yuka instantly exclaimed. "But he...he got himself a magic carpet so he could follow us even in his sleep."

"Go on," Ooba prompted.

"He got off with us, Obaba, but he...went off...on his own."

"And you said he was sleeping?"

"The last time we saw him, yes."

"Then find him!" Ooba's loud outburst nearly knocked Yuka off his feet. "I don't care if that boy's a sleep-fighter, who knows where he might end up with his sleeping habit!"

* * *

><p>At the top of a grassy hill, lying in the shade of a tree, Platin dozed away peacefully. His hair shifted between blonde and brown, like it always did underneath his blue cap. His new magic carpet—which he purchased from the magic shop in the town where their mission took place—floated beside him, rolled into a tasseled tube.<p>

"Hey," a voice said. Inside, Platin sincerely hoped that wasn't a voice in his head acting as his alarm. "Hey, wake up."

"Hm?" A slightly disgruntled Platin woke up from his nap earlier than he would have liked when someone's hand shook his shoulder. The blond boy sat up, keeping a hand on his cap as his green eyes narrowed at the culprit's brown ones.

A boy with messy brown hair in his early teens grinned as he straightened his posture. Platin noticed that the other boy had an Eastern touch to his appearance: a blue shirt peeked out from underneath a white suikan with sleeves that came to his mid-forearm. The suikan was tied at the waist by a purple sash. Blue trousers stopped short of the ankles by a few inches, allowing his sandals to be visible. "Good, you're still alive," he commented as he fixed his tasseled beret, the only thing off about his outfit.

"...Who are you?" Platin asked.

"That's what I'm supposed to ask," the other boy replied, bending down slightly to grab Platin's wrist so he could pull him up. "I've been through this town lots of times, so I practically know who lives here and who doesn't. And you must be the newest face here."

"Mm-hm," the blond agreed drowsily, rubbing his eyes. Platin leaned against the tree trunk while the brown-haired boy rambled on.

"I heard rumors that Lamia Scale recruited this weird guy just weeks ago, so I came to see if they were true," the other boy continued, not taking notice of Platin's nodding head. "He's always found in a nap, but he can fight in his sleep. Say, do you know where Lamia Scale's base—" The young teenager did a double-take when he saw Platin sleeping against the tree trunk, this time standing up. "How can you fall asleep so fast?" he exclaimed, shaking Platin's shoulder again.

This time, Platin's left hand grabbed the hand that was shaking him and forced it behind the owner's head. But the other boy whirled around so that the arm that was supposed to be behind his head now wrapped around Platin's neck. The blond's elbow shot back, but the brown-haired teen caught it. However, that gave Platin the opportunity to hurl the teen away.

The brown-haired boy dusted himself off when he touched the ground. "Hey, hey! What gives—?" He took notice of the constant bobbing movements of Platin's head. "Wait...don't tell me..." He charged at full speed; Platin kicked off against the ground, throwing himself high into the air. The teen couldn't help but stop to watch Platin's descent to earth. He spun around in time to see the blond inverted in midair behind him, his expression composed while his eyes remained closed. His breath came out evenly, not in ragged pants like most combatants in a brawl. "He is!" he cried out.

As soon as those words left his mouth, Platin's eyes opened. Dark green eyes brightened as a light seemed to build up in them. A blinding radiance enveloped the area, originating from the inverted blond boy.

"Argh!" The brown-haired boy covered his eyes, reacting too late in his effort to shield them from the light.

When the light faded, the young teen looked at Platin, who proceeded to fix his hat. "So this kid...is the Sleeper?"

Platin yawned widely, his eyes blinking rapidly as he stretched his arms. "That was a nice nap," he mumbled. He noticed the brown-haired boy gaping at him, which made him feel...awkward. "Is...something wrong?"

The young teen pointed a finger at Platin. "You...don't you remember our fight?"

"A fight...?" Platin held his head, eyes riddled with confusion. "Wait..." He bent all the fingers on his left hand down except for the pinkie, which he used to point to himself. "Did I do something in my sleep?" He received a nod in response, making Platin bow his head. "This needs to stop soon," he muttered.

"Why? It's awesome, unique!" The brown-haired boy adjusted his tasseled beret. "Something like that is a talent worth keeping, Sleeper!"

Platin sighed. "But...wait, Sleeper?" he repeated.

"Yeah." The young teen leaned back and forth on his feet. "That's what they're calling you in the surrounding towns and villages. Heck, the rumors even reached my hometown."

That only made Platin look away sheepishly. "Great, now I'm the country's weirdo."

"Hey, there's weirder people in the country, Sleeper. You want proof? Blue Pegasus' Ichiya: tell me how _that_ happened."

Platin couldn't help but laugh at the other boy's statement. He held his stomach, his sides hurting from laughter.

"Hey." The unfamiliar boy pointed a finger at Platin again. "Your laugh...it's high-pitched—it makes you sound like a girl," he noted.

"Huh?" Platin stopped laughing once he heard those words.

"Say...did you hit puberty yet?" he wondered out loud.

"Uh...no?" Platin answered, the term unfamiliar to his ears.

"No?" The brown-haired boy grinned slowly. "Ha! That means I have a reason to call you _sissy_!"

The blond's ears twitched in annoyance. "That's just low, you know that?"

"Platin!" The two boys turned to see Yuka approaching them before skidding to a halt before his guild mate. The Wave faced the other boy, who observed them at a distance. "Who's this?" he asked. _And why do I get the feeling I've seen his face before?_ he added in his mind.

"I'm...just leaving. But listen well, Sleeper." The young teen pointed a challenging finger at Platin. "This isn't over yet—not by a long shot. The name's Ansen. Remember that name when I knock you out of dreamland, Sleeper." Ansen's right hand opened, a smoke bomb in his grasp. He threw it against the ground, creating a smoke cloud that enveloped him inside. When the smoke faded, Ansen was nowhere to be seen.

_I swear I saw that smoke bomb before_, Yuka thought. But he decided to ignore it...for now. "Let's head back, Platin."

* * *

><p>"There you are, Platin!" Ooba exclaimed as Yuka and Platin walked over the threshold. "You aren't injured, are you?"<p>

"I-I'm sorry, Obaba," Platin apologized, rubbing the top of his cap. "Did I worry you?"

"There really was no need to worry about you, though," Yuka added.

"Oh?" Ooba spun towards them with interest. "What happened, Yuka?"

"Guess who made his first rival today, Obaba?"

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	8. Postcognition

**_~Dream~_**

_Rufus knew this place; this large apartment located in the tranquil part of Crocus. How could he forget his childhood home?_

_He looked around, noticing how empty his former home seemed in the dream. The walls were bare and cabinets emptied as an elderly woman packed away their contents with his younger self's assistance._

_Rufus knew what point in his life this dream was taking place. This dream was the day he had to move out of his home in Crocus to live with his grandmother, just a week after his parents' funeral. So right now, his younger self was thirteen._

_Is there...someone else here? _The Rufus of reality thought, leaving the scene to wander the apartment.

_He didn't know why he was having dreams of his life before Saber Tooth. But he did know—he did remember—that the little girl from his last dreams didn't have a place in his memories._

_He passed his parents' room, empty and devoid of life with the deaths of its occupants. There was his room, vacant as well. And there it was: a room next door to his with its door ajar._

_Before he could move, his younger self walked past him and entered the adjacent room. Staying outside, the real Rufus peered into the room._

_There she was. His younger self stood before the same little girl from his last dreams. Her back was to him, but the younger Rufus brought out a handkerchief and wiped away something on her face—tears, perhaps?_

_His younger self extended his left hand towards the girl, who took it with her right. Young Rufus led her out of the room, walking past the real Rufus with the girl in tow._

* * *

><p><strong>X790, April 10<strong>

"Hey! Is someone in there?"

"Hm?" Rufus looked away from the request board to meet Sting, who snapped his fingers in his ear to grab his attention earlier. "Did you say something?"

"No," Sting said. "But Rietta over there—" The White Dragon Slayer jerked his head in the direction of the chef, who managed to run her station while helping Hestia with her last homework problem. "—asked if you began training yet."

"I have not."

"You'd better hustle with it, Lore," Rietta called. "It's that time of year again."

Rufus smiled slyly. "How could I forget?" With most of the guild absent due to training—a handful remaining to keep the guild running—it was hard to forget that the Grand Magic Games were taking place in less than three months. Not to mention that all eyes would be on Saber Tooth this year—just like the last three years of their reign.

"Which reminds me, I don't see you working on your magic, Sting," Rietta noticed as she sent a tray filled with food towards the wizard who ordered it.

"Sting-kun's strong already!" Lector defended, floating onto the bar counter. "Even without training, he's invincible!"

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch agreed.

"That may be, but we still have one guild to watch out for," Rogue pointed out. "Lamia Scale."

"That second-rate guild?" Sting said haughtily.

"They're second to us, according to my memories," Rufus interjected as he picked a mission that caught his attention. "Take note that the Wizard Saint Jura is within their ranks."

"And somehow, they took second place every year, even without that man!" Rietta concluded. The woman with navy hair dusted off her apron, careful not to do so in Hestia's direction. "And Hestia, you have fifteen minutes until the train arrives."

"I do?" Hestia glanced at the clock, only to jolt in alarm when she saw the time. "Ah!" The purple and white-haired child jumped down from her stool with her folder in her hands. She landed next to her backpack, which she brought downstairs with her today.

"There's no need to rush," Rogue advised while Hestia fumbled with her bag's zipper. "Even if you went now, the train wouldn't come for another five minutes."

"Rogue is really smart," Frosch said, which earned him a pat on the head from his best friend.

"So who's taking—"

"I'll take her this time," Rufus said as he passed his job flyer over to Rietta for her inspection.

"You're not going off yet, Shorty," Rietta called over to Hestia, who already stood by the door.

Hestia lightly stamped her foot. "But Rietta-san, I'm not short!" she cried indignantly.

The chef stamped the flyer and slid it back to Rufus. "Now you can."

Hestia tried her best to reach the door handle, having to stand on her toes just to touch it with a finger. Sting couldn't help but feel sorry for Hestia as she continued her attempts. Rogue covered his eyes: no matter how many times he saw it, it was still painful to watch Hestia torture herself just to disprove her height.

"Lore," Rietta muttered, rubbing the space between her eyebrows. "Can you help her?"

Rufus smiled mentally as he made his way over to the door to end Hestia's torment. At the same time, her small stature concerned him. Compared to other children her age, she was behind in growth.

The doors opened even before Rufus put a hand on them. Standing in the doorway was the strongest wizard of Saber Tooth: Minerva.

"Milady!" Rufus exclaimed, taking off his hat as a show of respect.

"M-Minerva-sama," Hestia stammered. "Welcome back."

Rufus found it strange that Hestia had to address her older sister by adoption formally, but Minerva didn't want it any other way. The first time Hestia tried to address Minerva in a familiar way, Rufus half-expected a strike coming for Hestia after seeing Minerva's displeased expression. However, Hestia did receive a light lecture from the lady on how to address her from then on.

Minerva looked down at Hestia, her smile both warm and predatory. It looked as if Minerva was deciding whether or not to devour the little girl who was her little sister. "Do you need to leave for school already?" she asked.

"Y-yes."

"Don't stammer. You must be poised and confident when you speak. Understand?"

"Yes, Minerva-sama."

"Good." Minerva patted Hestia's head, which was something she rarely did. "I've held you up long enough. Why don't you hurry along? You must be running late."

* * *

><p>The train pulled into the platform just when Rufus and Hestia arrived at the station. "It's here! It's here!" Hestia cried.<p>

Rufus rushed towards the ticket vendor, keeping his cool even while Hestia panicked at the thought of losing her punctuality streak. The masked man didn't know if she had inherited it from her parents—though he would bet that it came from her mother—or if Master Jiemma drilled it into her.

"Follow me," he instructed, leading the way towards the platform. Their feet may have fallen at the same pace, but Rufus took longer strides. Hestia had to chase after him just to catch up.

"Wait! Wait for me!" Hestia finally caught up to Rufus and grabbed his hand. The moment she did, Rufus' eyesight diminished.

Rufus stopped in his tracks, holding his head as dark spots clouded over his vision. He heard Hestia call out to him, alarm in her voice as she repeatedly asked what was wrong. Hestia's voice faded, eventually replaced by two other voices.

_"Wait! Wait for me!" A little girl's voice cried. _Rufus wondered if it was Hestia, but brushed that theory away: this girl's voice was slightly higher-pitched, but not enough to be annoying.

_"We have to hurry!"_ Rufus instantly recognized the other voice as his when he was younger. _"We promised we'd be back by eight!"_

_"But—OOMPH!"_

_"—are you okay?" _

_The response was a loud sniffle, as if the girl who fell was crying. "No..."_

_"You scraped your legs—"_

"Rufus-san? Rufus-san!" Rufus came back to reality slowly, greeted by Hestia's concerned face meeting his at eye level. The masked man realized he had fallen to his knees during his temporary moment of blindness. "Are you okay?"

Rufus didn't know how to answer that: he didn't know why he was subject to post-cognitive dreams of his past or why he just heard himself in the past speaking to a little girl other than Hestia. He knew that the girl he was speaking to in that conversation wasn't Hestia: the Telekinetic child never scraped her legs from a fall before.

"Are you coming or not?" The conductor yelled to them.

"Rufus-san," Hestia started, "if you're not feeling well...you don't have to go with me to school. I could go by myself—"

"No." Rufus stood up, the last traces of his "blindness" fading. "I'll go with you, Hestia. After all, how would I live with myself if I let you go off on your own?"

**Okay, people. What does it take to get a review?**


	9. Miss Tina?

**X790, April 10, 8:45 AM**

**Lamia Scale**

Staring at a map, Ooba frowned while her subordinates went about their usual business. She tapped an area with her bony finger. "No...he wouldn't be able to live there."

"Ooba-dono?" Ooba looked up to see Jura approach her. The Wizard Saint glanced at the map that his master was inspecting. "Are you looking for one of our comrades?"

"No," Ooba answered. "What makes you say that?"

Jura cleared his throat. "Well, the fact that you're looking at a map of our town gives me the idea that you might be looking for someone. Unless we have yet to receive news about a criminal in our midsts, I would think that you're looking for someone, Ooba-dono."

Ooba sighed. "I really can't hide a thing from you, Jura. All right, it's...Platin."

"Platin-dono? Didn't he say a few days ago that he would be gone for a while?"

"It's not that, but something else that gets me." Ooba pointed at a location on a map. "This is the boys' dorms for our guild. Platin is obviously too young to be living on his own, so it would seem likely that he would rent a dorm here. Yet from what Yuka and Toby tell me, Platin never came by."

"Unless Platin-dono's parents live nearby," Jura pointed out. One of his fingers tapped a road leading out of the town that housed Lamia Scale. "I believe this city is no more than a ten minute walk from here."

"I don't think his parents would allow him to join a guild at so young an age," Ooba said as her arms spun around each other. "Or any guardian on that matter."

"So what you're suggesting is that Platin-dono's parents are no longer of this world, Ooba-dono?"

Ooba nodded solemnly. "I've always wondered if that was the case, and it seems possible. But there's something else that bothers me: if Platin's not staying at the guild's dorm, then where is he staying?"

* * *

><p><strong>8:45 AM<strong>

Hestia ran off first, keeping herself ahead of Rufus but stopping occasionally so he could catch up. It was supposed to be the other way around, but Rufus' "blackout" from earlier worried the child. Rufus could discern that much, and part of him appreciated the fact that his master's adopted child worried for his well-being.

Inside, however, his mind was in turmoil. It was bad enough when those dreams came along, where what he would see matched his memory, except for the little blond girl added to the scene. But to hear himself conversing with a voice he knew he didn't remember left him on his knees, just like at the train station. He knew his memories were never wrong, but some part of him refused to let go of the memory of those dreams.

So why did that part want to hold onto a child who only existed in his dreams?

A nearby explosion caught the attention of Hestia and Rufus, both of whom stared in the direction of the blast. "That's where my school is!" Hestia cried, seeing smoke rise in the distance.

"No!" Rufus grabbed Hestia's hand when he saw that she was about to run. The masked wizard half-expected another "blackout" to occur, but nothing happened. "You can't go there by yourself, Hestia!"

"But Rufus-san—!"

"Hold my hand! And under no circumstances are you to let go!" Hestia looked into his eyes; she nodded, tightening her grip on his hand. The two set off for Hestia's school, the child praying that nothing was wrong.

Rufus winced as his head throbbed, signalling a headache._ No, now isn't the time,_ he thought. The Memory-Make wizard managed to force back the headache, keeping his mind focused on the emergency at hand.

"Unhand that child!" A female voice yelled as they grew closer to the school, where people crowded at the closed gates.

Hestia gasped when her ears picked up the voice. "That's Miss Tina!"

"Is she your teacher?" he asked.

The purple and white-haired child nodded frantically. "She's my favorite teacher—she teaches Telekinesis!"

"Who are you to talk, girl, when you're a child yourself?" A gruff male voice leered.

Rufus and Hestia came to a stop near the crowd. "What's the matter?" Rufus asked the closest bystander.

"Those cowards!" The woman he spoke to screamed, tears of fury in her eyes. "A band of thieves robbed our bank. The authorities nearly caught up to them, but the thieves reached this school and now they're holding the children hostage!"

"Where are the teachers?" Rufus inquired. "I recall that this is a school that teaches magic."

The woman inclined her head towards the gates. "One of the goons has the teachers trapped in the school. The only one who's outside with the ringleader is a teacher as young as the children themselves! She doesn't have a chance!"

Hestia stamped her foot. "Miss Tina isn't weak! She's a good teacher!" she protested.

"A good teacher," the woman agreed, "but not a good fighter. Our only hope is that she can hold the thugs at bay until real help arrives."

A small smile formed on Rufus' lips before a chuckle followed after, drawing the woman's eyes towards him. "'Real help'? Please tell me you don't mean the kingdom's soldiers, the ones incapable of using magic. Tell me you're not relying on them to settle this situation, madam." He lifted his head, dark green eyes reflecting an eerie glint. "The melody of discord has been sung. Their children are trapped, yet the parents of the young magic users won't lift a hand to aid them?"

"R-Rufus-san?" Hestia wondered nervously.

The masked wizard let go of the child's hand. "Stay here, Hestia. It isn't safe for you."

"Okay."

"You have some nerve thinking you can take those thugs on, young man!" The woman called as Rufus approached the high brick wall. "You're making a mistake by underestimating those gunslingers behind this wall!"

"I must disagree with you, madam. Your mistake—" Rufus jumped onto the wall with ease, looking back at the skeptical woman. "—is thinking that you could underestimate a Saber Tooth wizard."

"Hey, is that—?"

"It's Rufus of Saber Tooth!"

"Rufus-san, be careful!" Hestia called as Rufus disappeared on the other side of the wall.

* * *

><p>The first thing that caught the Minstrel's attention was the back of the giant man who could rival Orga in size. And the same man dangled a child by their ankles, holding a gun to their head.<p>

"Miss Tina!" the child cried. "Help!"

Rufus looked around until he found a group of children hiding behind an older girl with a large shoulder bag slung from her right shoulder across her chest. She couldn't have been more than twelve, by her appearance. Her blonde hair was pulled back into multiple ponytails, all bundled together by a large, sturdy ribbon.

"One false move and the kid's brains splatter!" The giant man crowed, taking joy in the young teacher's inability to act.

The girl known as Miss Tina bit her lip, unable to lift a finger without endangering a student's life._ I have to do something_, she thought. _I have to save him._

"Memory-Make: Howl of the White Fang!" A cold gale blew furiously as a blizzard knocked the giant off his feet, making him release his hostage. The little boy ran towards the older girl while she looked for the savior.

The giant's attention was now on Rufus, who stood with his arms behind his back. The young man kept his expression neutral while the young teacher floated students over the wall and out of harm's way. "You'll pay for that, punk!" he yelled, aiming the gun at the masked wizard.

He fired without a second thought, but his bullets passed through Rufus' body. "Huh?"

"That's your memory of where I _was_." The giant found Rufus standing at the other side of the courtyard, smiling triumphantly.

"Why you—!" The thief pulled the trigger, but no bullets came out. Screaming with rage, the giant charged towards Rufus.

A ray of light snaked towards the giant, but instead of hitting him directly, the light beam continued its erratic movements. Both Rufus and the giant couldn't help but watch the light's movements. It was like the beam was trying to decide who to attack, and it finally decided to nail the thief in the face. "Argh!" The thief covered his eyes, blinded by the harsh brightness. Rufus looked for the caster of the spell, his eyes landing on the young teacher, who held her left hand out in his direction.

The giant got back on his knees, attempting to pull himself up. But another force lifted him high above the ground, dangling him upside down.

The doors to the school opened and two men exited the school, holding large bags. "Hey, what—" Their words were cut off when their large companion hurled towards them, burying them under his weight.

_That was Telekinesis_, Rufus noted mentally. "Would I be correct to assume that _you_ are Miss Tina?" He still had his doubts that this girl could be a teacher, when her age clearly stated she was as much a child as the young students.

"Then am I correct to assume that you are Rufus Lore?" she returned, her voice carrying an accent that wasn't present before.

"Get—off, Lardo!" One of the thieves rolled the giant off himself, but his companion who shared the same fate remained unconscious. "You can't shoot a mage and expect a bullet to hit! You gotta fight fire with fire—magic with magic!"

On cue, flames erupted from the palm of the thief's hand. He drew his hand back and a ring of fire trapped Rufus and Miss Tina inside. The inferno grazed Tina's leg as she drew back from the edge. Her back collided with Rufus', whose real body was also within this blazing circle. Proud of his handiwork, the thief went back to grab the bags of money to take for himself.

"Little girl," Rufus said, which made Tina twist her head to look at him. "I don't know how the staff viewed you as a suitable teacher for these children when you're a child yourself. But the fact that you are suggests that you have experience in combat, yes?"

"In this school, I'm their teacher. But outside of theses walls, I'm simply a local girl who takes on magic-related jobs to earn most of her living," Tina responded, blue eyes trying to see past the blazing circle to find the thief.

"Is that so? If you don't mind, Miss Tina, will you assist me? I'm afraid I don't have any memories of Water Magic to counter this fire."

Miss Tina smiled, something that struck Rufus oddly for some reason. "_Vous aider, Monsieur Lore_?" Rufus blinked: the last time he heard someone address him by that title was during a train ride with a boy. And that was the same boy who asked him what he had forgotten. "_Si nous nous souvenons bien_, you are the man who gives life to memories, _non_?"

"_Oui, c'est vrai_," Rufus answered back in Minstrel. A voice in the back of his head asked him how long had it been since the last time he spoke one word of Minstrel, but he brushed that thought aside to return to the crisis at hand. "While I would enjoy continuing this conversation in Minstrel, the thief will be using that time to escape."

"_Je ne suis pas une magicienne de combat_," Miss Tina informed. "My magic doesn't serve well if I am to fight. However, what I can give you is—an opening!" She swiped her left arm through the air: the inferno blew out as if they were candle flames. And in the same direction where she extended her arm, the thief stood there with a giant bag slung over his shoulder.

Rufus put his fingers to his temples. "Memory-Make—" The red magic seal unique to Rufus appeared behind him, followed closely by spiraling chains of memories. The ground where he stood slowly turned orange before spreading out to the rest of the area. Even the blue sky gained a reddish-orange shade. All of a sudden, it felt too warm for Miss Tina and the thief.

Deciding to take advantage of Rufus needing time to cast his spell, the thief aimed a stream of fire at him. Miss Tina shot her left hand out: light particles collided with the flame before the entire spell faded from existence. "What the—?"

Rock columns that resembled mountains with rivers of lava on the surface erupted from the ground, surrounding the thief. Rufus put a hand on his hat as he crouched down to touch the earth with his hand. "Karma of the Burning Land!" The spot where he placed his hand was set ablaze, and the inferno grew in size as it grew closer to the thief, farther away from Rufus. The young teacher gasped inaudibly at the spectacle, watching it strike the thief directly.

The orange glow in the atmosphere disappeared; Rufus returned to a proper standing position as he observed the result with pride. The thief lay on the ground, his clothes tattered and skin seared.

"He got them!" Applause erupted from the other side of the gates as they opened, allowing a squad of Rune Knights and some kingdom soldiers to spill into the school courtyard.

"Mister Lore." Rufus turned to look at the Rune Knight that addressed him. "Thanks for your cooperation in apprehending these thieves. We'll make sure to send word of this to Saber Tooth."

"Thank you."

"Is it the bandit group Bacchus?" A Rune Knight asked another as he apprehended one of the thieves.

"Negative, Captain," another Rune Knight replied, inspecting the other two thieves near the school doors. "They don't have the symbol anywhere."

"All right. Take them away."

It took six Rune Knights—three on either side—to lift the giant thief and haul him away. Once the thieves were led out of the school boundaries, the children poured back in.

"Rufus-san! Miss Tina!" Hestia ran over to the two blonds but slipped due to her speed and fell.

"Hestia!" Rufus made a move towards the adopted child of his master, but the young teacher reached her first. "Are you all right?" Tina asked as she dusted Hestia lightly in an effort to remove any dirt.

"Yes—Miss Tina, you're hurt!" Hestia exclaimed, pointing to her teacher's left ankle. Rufus glanced at the area that Hestia indicated: not only did the fire burn off part of her sock, but parts of her skin.

"I—when did that get there?" Tina mumbled as she bent down to inspect her injury. She touched it gingerly, drawing her fingers back quickly when it stung.

"It's only a first degree burn," Rufus said, drawing Hestia and Tina's eyes towards him. "According to my memories, treatment within thirty minutes of the burn will reduce the depth and pain."

"Miss Tina's first aid kit!" Hestia ran over to Tina's left side, where her bag sat next to her. She fumbled with the clasp of the bag, but got it open in the end. The purple and white-haired child dug through the bag until she pulled out a large white tin with a red cross on the lid.

"You keep a first aid kit in your bag?" the masked wizard asked.

"I...tend to be extremely clumsy," Tina admitted as she opened the tin box. Its contents were slightly disorganized—or was it like that already?—but Tina grabbed a burn patch and ripped it open.

Rufus held his right ear as a loud snapping noise sounded next to it. Black spots danced over his eyes once more. He could faintly hear Hestia calling out to him, but it wasn't just her voice this time. Tina's voice joined her too, asking what was wrong.

* * *

><p>Rufus' vision cleared, allowing him to see his surroundings. He wasn't in the school courtyard anymore; what was he doing in his childhood home?<p>

"You're really clumsy," a boy's voice said, followed by the sound of tearing paper. Rufus looked in the direction of the voice: there was his younger self, throwing away the wrapper for a disinfectant wipe.

"I'm sorry." Rufus recognized that voice: that was one of the voices he heard during his "blackout" at the train station. If his intuition was correct, then a little blonde girl was due to be nearby. Sure enough, his younger self knelt before a little blonde girl who sat in a chair. From where he stood, he could see scrapes on her knees.

"This is going to sting." Younger Rufus quickly disinfected her scrapes, but the chemicals in the wipe still made the girl wince. Two more sets of torn paper later, younger Rufus applied bandages on her knees. "There you go. You're all better—" His younger self mouthed something, but no sound came out.

Rufus felt like he needed to get his vision checked, because the infernal black spots clouded over his eyes again. The last thing he ever saw was his younger self staring at the spot where he stood.

* * *

><p>"Rufus-san! Rufus-san!" When his vision cleared for the third time today, Rufus found himself on his knees once again. His right hand held his forehead while his breath escaped in slow pants. Three times today—or two, if he wanted to argue the time at which his dream took place—his mind played tricks with him. Three times he blacked out, but only twice did he hear voices, including his own.<p>

_What's happening to me?_ he thought, his mind in a state of disarray.

"Are you okay?" Rufus looked up to see dark green eyes belonging to the young teacher staring at him in concern.

Wait...dark green?

"You." Tina's eyes widened as Rufus tilted her head back so that he could look at them better. There was no mistaking it. "According to my memories...your eyes were _blue_."

**Author's Note:**

**Yes, there was French to this chapter. And I decided to make the country of Minstrel the Earthland equivalent of France, which I mentioned before in previous chapter. So if any character speaks French in this story, the language will be referred to as Minstrel. I just wanted to include the French language.**

**I am not a native French-speaker. French is my third language, English is my second. Though you would think that the latter is my first from how I speak it.**

**I realize some translations are in order, and please forgive me if I have gotten any of these translations—both French and English—wrong.**

**Vous aider**—Help you

**Monsieur**— commonly used as 'mister'

**Si nous nous souvenons bien**—if we remember

**Non**—no

**Oui, c'est vrai**—Yes, it's true

**Je ne suis pas**—I am not

**Un(e)**—one or a, it can be either, depending on the gender of the object. In this case, une was used

**Magicien(ne)**—Magician, wizard. This is also a word where the spelling varies by gender. Since Tina is a girl, the extra ne was added.

**De combat**—of combat, or of battle

**Yes, I will get to work on the next chapter of Anathema. For now, read and review my stories!**


	10. Oblivious

A girl sat on a dark pink shore, holding a fishing rod. With her line cast into the murky lake, all she had to do was wait for the hook to grab something.

"You know, a net would work better than that old rod," a boy's voice from behind informed her gently.

The girl's head whirled, nine blonde ponytails held together by a sturdy ribbon following her movements. "Oh, it's you, Platin," she said in relief. "But if you're here...then who's—"

"Don't worry," Platin told her as he sat down next to her. "I made sure to lock some doors. We don't intend to start before nine o'clock."

The blonde girl with nine ponytails smiled sadly. "Do you think some locks and a wake-up call are really going to stop anyone from sneaking out?"

"It didn't stop you, did it?"

"..." The nine-tailed girl returned her attention to the lake while she reeled the line in.

"Fishing lines break easily," the blond schoolboy said.

"Nets break eventually," she returned, still waiting for the hook to pick up something.

"But the will to hold on doesn't."

The nine-tailed girl looked at her shoes, dark green eyes refusing to meet Platin's eyes of the same shade. "...It does," she whispered.

"Think positive," Platin encouraged.

"What's the point?" she asked. "If this doesn't let up...I won't be here anymore."

Something blue fell over her eyes while hands lifted the corners of her mouth. The girl lifted the object on her head to see Platin with his hands on her cheeks and with his cap off. "Not if I can help it," he said.

Behind them, using a corridor wall to hide, a brown-haired boy smirked. "Not if you can't stop it," he sneered in a low voice.

* * *

><p><strong>X790, April 11, 8:00 AM<strong>

In the town where Lamia Scale was located, many of its locals stared at the sight of a blue-capped blond boy sleeping on a magic carpet that seemed to know its destination.

"Isn't that the Sleeper?"

"I thought he'd be older."

"He must be talented if he was able to enter Lamia Scale at that age."

* * *

><p>"It's too quiet," Ooba muttered as she spun her arms around. "And where's that tea I ordered?" she added.<p>

"Y-yes, Granny!" Immediately, a slightly plump man hurried over with a tray that held a teacup and teapot. "Here's your tea, Granny!"

A knock at the doors caught the guild's attention. "Someone get that!" Ooba yelled, prompting Yuka to open them wide. The Wave saw the Sleeper floating outside on his carpet, waiting for someone to let him inside the guild.

"Hey, Platin," Yuka greeted as he stepped aside so that Platin and his magic carpet could come in.

"...mh..." was all Platin mumbled while his new magic carpet floated him over to the request board.

"Is that the boy you were telling me about?" Sherry asked when Yuka returned to his seat. "The sleepy one?"

"More like the living dead!" Toby shot back.

"Do you have to make such a big deal out of it?" Yuka asked tiredly.

"Platin." Ooba spun her finger around, redirecting the carpet's path towards her. "Sonny, you need to wake up first. Here, have some oolong tea," she offered, holding out a cup of tea for her youngest subordinate to drink.

"Ehh?" By now, most of Lamia Scale's ranks were baffled by their master's behavior. Ooba was known for berating her subordinates if she found a fault in them, as well as ordering them to work extra hard, especially since the Grand Magic Games were coming up in a little less than three months. She did show compassion for them once in a while, but most of the time, she could usually be found yelling at someone. So to see her act so motherly—er, _grandmotherly_ was very rare.

"...mh-hm..." Though anyone could tell he was still sleeping, Platin accepted the tea from Ooba and drank it slowly. It was a wonder how he could still keep his poise even in his sleep.

The Sleeper placed the cup on the counter, still showing no signs of waking...yet. Ooba watched Platin's eyelids blink rapidly before they opened slowly. The blond boy stretched his arms out, signalling his awakening. "*Yawn*...ah?" Platin blinked, trying to adjust to the lighting of the guild. "Um...how did I get here?" he asked as he used his left pinkie finger to point to himself.

"Your magic carpet brought you," Ooba said, gesturing to the textile underneath the boy.

"Is that right?" Platin rubbed his eyes in an attempt to remove any tears of exhaustion. "That much I can tell...but I can't remember how I woke up this morning...or how I got dressed. But I know I went to sleep last night...I should have..."

Ooba patted Platin's shoulder. "Don't strain your mind too much over it, Platin. I'm sure another cup of tea will jog your memory."

"Thank you...Obaba." Platin poured himself a cup of tea and sipped it carefully, frowning at its taste. "It's...a bit strong," he mumbled in a small voice.

"Something to keep you alert for the day," Ooba added, returning to the usual routine of spinning her arms around.

"Oon~see, she babies him," Toby said.

"It's a sign of love!" Sherry sighed.

"He's young, that's why. But..." One of Yuka's enormous eyebrows twitched in annoyance. "That kid's a disaster waiting to happen," he muttered.

"Let's see...what should I do today?" Platin scanned the request board, his dark green eyes more alert than they were minutes ago. Despite this, his dark circles weren't planning to go anywhere.

"Isn't he too young to go off on his own?" Sherry wondered out loud.

"He is," Yuka agreed. "Which is why Obaba is going to make someone go with him once he picks his mission. Which should be—"

"Obaba!" Platin rushed over to Ooba with a flyer in his hand.

"Now," Yuka finished.

Ooba read over the flyer while her stamp hovered over it, waiting for her approval. "A simple job of organizing a library archive," she noted, "and the client's town is a ten minute walk from here. But Platin...are you sure you can stay awake through this job? Organizing files can be tedious."

"...I'm sure I can stay awake this time," Platin assured, though the yawn that followed after didn't convince Ooba entirely.

_This time?_ was the thought that ran through the minds of many of his guild mates.

"Hm..." After a scrutinizing stare that left Platin uneasy, Master Ooba finally stamped the flyer. "I'll let you go off on your own this time, Platin. But just for luck—" Ooba shoved the cup back into his hands, nearly spilling the aromatic liquid all over the boy's front. "Have some more tea. It's guaranteed to keep you awake."

* * *

><p><em>Don't you think you should have told la vielle that the tea was useless?<em> An accented voice ran in Platin's mind as he journeyed alone on the road to the next town.

"She wouldn't take no for an answer," Platin murmured, the memory of Ooba trying to force Platin to drink every drop of tea still fresh in his mind.

_Now, now,_ a calmer and mature voice entered the mental conversation. _Both of you know that Master Ooba was trying to look out for us._

_The tea was too strong!_ Platin winced at the harsh whip-like tone of the accented voice. _The imbecile that prepared it steeped it for too long!_

_Most likely on Master Ooba's orders_, the calm voice returned, its gentle tone soothing to Platin's mind. _We all know that Master Ooba was—_

_Master Ooba this! Master Ooba that! For once, tais-toi!_

"Both of you—especially _toi_—shut up," Platin mumbled, tugging the cap down.

_Yes, please do shut up._

_Moi? Jamais! Why don't you go back to sleep, petite amie?_ The accented voice added, switching to a lulling tone.

_No, no, don't listen to_—

Too late. Platin's eyes drooped while his breathing slowed. The blond schoolboy dropped to his knees before he finally collapsed at the crossroads. The last thing he heard were feet breaking into a run from the right fork.

* * *

><p>"'Ansen, you should join this guild! Ansen, why did you join that guild? Ansen, you have to prove you're stronger than that woman's son!' Mama, will you stuff a sock in it?" Realizing how ridiculous he sounded by mimicking his mother's rant, Ansen sighed as he walked the road by himself. "Someday, I'll prove them wrong."<p>

"You hear that, cousin?" Ansen yelled at the sky, waving a fist at the endless frontier. "One of these days, I'll beat you in front of the whole world!"

"...I can already hear him telling me to get real," he mumbled, looking down at the ground.

"Argh!" He took his frustrations out on a small rock near his foot, kicking it with all he had. He lifted his head to watch the rock's flight, only to see a collapsed body at the intersection of the three roads. "AH!" he cried, running towards the body. _Please tell me that wasn't because of the rock I kicked_, he pleaded in his head. The brown-haired boy with the tasseled cap knelt beside the body. "Wake up! I didn't mean to kick that rock, so please forgive me!"

"...So loud..." Ansen's ears twitched: he heard that voice before. And he swore he knew that blue cap along with the hair underneath it that shifted from brown to blond.

As if to confirm his suspicions, Platin lifted himself on his knees while his hands pushed against the ground to help him get back on his feet. "What happened?"

"You okay, Sleeper?"

"Um...did I fall asleep on the road?" Platin asked, pointing his left pinkie to himself.

Ansen nearly fell, dumbfounded. _What is this kid?_ he thought, leaving Platin to dust himself off drowsily. _How many hours of sleep does he get, anyway?_ "You weren't hit by anything, were you?" Ansen asked slowly, hoping that it really wasn't the rock he kicked.

The blond schoolboy rubbed his eyes. "Other than a nap, no. Why?"

Ansen sighed in relief. "No reason," he said quickly, adjusting his hat. "But why were you sleeping on the road in the first place?"

"I didn't mean to," Platin countered as he adjusted his bag strap over his shoulders. "I just fall asleep whether I like it or not."

"Mh-hm."

"The client probably thinks I'm late."

"Wait." Ansen pointed to the left fork. "Are you heading in that direction?"

* * *

><p>A young man with dark green hair glanced at the grandfather clock in the library's foyer. "That's odd," he murmured as he drummed his fingers on the counter. "The old lady said that the kid would be here by now."<p>

The doors to the library opened, bringing his attention to the entrance as two boys came in. "There you are!" he cried as he rushed towards them. "And here I was thinking that no one would turn up."

"I'm late, aren't I?" Platin asked tentatively.

The librarian waved a hand dismissively. "I'm just glad someone actually came to help me. But...your master said that only one person would come, didn't she?" he added.

"About that!" Ansen rested an elbow on Platin's head, much to his annoyance; after all, the brown-haired boy was taller than the blond schoolboy by a few inches. "My friend's not feeling too well—in fact, he collapsed on the way here."

"You don't have to tell him that," Platin mumbled as he pulled his hat over his eyes. The green-haired librarian raised an eyebrow at Ansen's words.

"So I came with him to help him get the job done," Ansen finished, adjusting his own hat with his free hand. "I hope you don't mind?"

"Of course not." The librarian gestured to several boxes stacked on top of each other near a locked door. "I could use all the help available. Archiving the city's records by myself isn't easy."

"The city's records?" Platin blurted. "I thought the job was to organize the library's archive."

"Yes...in a way." The librarian led them over to the boxes by the door. Both boys could see that the door was heavily padlocked, and the schoolboy was prepared to bet that some enchantments were put into effect, too. "The mayor asked me to file away every file on every citizen and public records of this city in the library...for the time being. Normally he would store them in the basement of town hall, but the entire building is under renovation due to a fire caused by some bandits yesterday."

"Wait...bandits?" The blond put a hand to his forehead, eyes clouded with uncertainty. "There were bandits yesterday?"

"Yes," the green-haired man said as if bandits attacking the town were a daily occurrence. "Weren't you in town yesterday?"

"I was...but I don't remember any bandits attacking...I would have remembered if there were," Platin replied in a small voice.

"Maybe you were taking one of your naps when it happened," Ansen cut in, rapping his knuckles on Platin's cap.

"Naps?" The green-haired librarian bent down to eye level with Platin and inspected his dark circles. "Whoa, someone needs to get to bed early!"

"But not too early," the darker of the two boys added with a broad smile.

"So don't fall asleep on me," the librarian finished with a grin as wide as Ansen's. "Now if you boys will follow me." The dark green-haired man unlocked each padlock with a ring of keys that hung from his belt loop. When all the padlocks were unlocked, the man pushed open the door, revealing a set of stairs that led down.

Platin peered down the dark stairway fearfully. "We have to carry these boxes down—" The blond boy gulped. "—there?" he squeaked.

"And you have to unpack every box and store every file in the filing cabinets alphabetically," the librarian added, nodding his head in agreement.

"It's not like you're afraid of the dark, are you, Sleeper?" Ansen joked, elbowing his rival. Platin's head bowed as his body slouched. Ansen's joking smile fell. "Wait, you are?"

"...Tch." Platin returned to a proper posture as his head whirled to face Ansen. The scared visage from earlier was gone, replaced by a more confident expression. "In your dreams, wannabe ninja," Platin scoffed, heading down the stairs to prove his point. "Snap to it, unless you're afraid that I really will beat you in a fight?" he added, brown eyes glittering with malice.

Ansen's ears twitched at Platin's nickname for him. "Do not call me a wannabe ninja."

"Or what?" Platin challenged.

Gritting his teeth, Ansen tried to roll up the sleeves of his suikan in an attempt to look tougher, but he failed miserably as his sleeves just came back down. "When this is over, don't blame me if you run home crying, Sleeper," he warned as he followed after Platin with two large boxes in his hands. "And you're one to talk—you're not even hauling a thing!"

"Oh?" Platin snapped his fingers loudly: Ansen had to move out of the way as multiple boxes floated past him. The Sleeper pointed his right index finger down the dark corridor and the boxes followed his command by floating in the direction he indicated. "You were saying?" he drawled as the sound of boxes being set down were made clear to the trio.

The green-haired librarian chuckled lightly while Ansen followed after Platin; the former of the two fumed at being shown up in front of a client. He looked behind himself to see that all the boxes were gone. "What do you know? I just might get done before lunch," he mused as he followed after the boys.

"Where's a knife when you need one?" Platin grumbled as he looked for an object sharp enough to cut through the annoying tape.

"Ahem." The Sleeper wheeled around to look at Ansen, who rested an elbow on an open box while holding what looked to be a kunai. "Need one of these?" he asked teasingly.

"Heh." The kunai knife escaped Ansen's hand and flew into Platin's. "I stand corrected: you are a ninja," Platin said as his bangs fell over his left eye, which gave him a darker look, especially when his hair now looked light brown in the poor lighting. Platin smirked as steam came out of Ansen's ears. The dark-haired boy tried think of how_ not_ to wring his rival's neck before noon while contemplating how to do the opposite without getting in trouble for it.

Platin cut the tape that bound the first box he decided to work on. As he finally opened it, he scanned the contents: like the librarian promised, there were files on the citizens of this town. And from the looks of it, he stumbled upon the files of citizens with a surname that started with 'L'. "This is surprisingly small," he noted.

"Well, this isn't a large town," the librarian said, having heard what the smaller of the two boys said. "The population is tiny compared to Crocus."

"Makes sense." Platin made his way over to a filing cabinet labelled with an 'L' on the side. "It looks like this is all the L's," he added, noting how the surnames in the box only went from Landon to Lynwood.

A certain name in the middle of the box caught Platin's attention. Brown eyes lit up in surprise as he tugged the file out from between 'Loran' and 'Lorenz'.

"Hello~What are you still doing here?" he wondered darkly.


	11. In the Dark of the Night

Brown eyes darted around to make sure they weren't being watched. His self-proclaimed rival busied himself over the files that needed to be transferred to the cabinets while the green-haired librarian made sure that every record was accounted for. Neither of them could see the devious look on his face.

So why did he still feel like he was being watched?

He found the answer high above him, a large eye embedded in the ceiling. He found three more "eyes" spaced apart from the first in a large square formation. Surveillance Lacrima, and they looked like they were just installed. It wouldn't be easy to smuggle the file he held in his hands.

"Don't fall asleep on us, Sleeper!" That shout broke Platin from his trance, causing him to jolt back to life. "If you go to sleep, I get to take the whole reward!" Ansen yelled.

"Oh?" Putting the file back, Platin stuffed the entire "L" collection into a single cabinet with ease, slamming the drawer shut afterwards. "I don't seem to remember agreeing to split the reward, Ansen," he said smoothly, brown eyes blending quickly into dark green while glittering with amusement.

"Hey, I brought you here after you collapsed." Ansen crossed his arms, making sure not to cut his shirt with the kunai he held in his hand. "So that means I get some credit for assisting."

Platin let out a small laugh. "Is that so?"

The green-haired librarian smiled as he watched the two boys bicker as they worked, tossing occasional remarks while opening boxes and filing away city records. But at the same time, he couldn't help but feel...reminiscent. Somehow, these boys reminded him of his previous occupation. "Now that I look at them," he murmured under his breath, "they do resemble _those_ two."

* * *

><p><strong>11:45 AM<strong>

"Cheers, Sleeper!" The two boys left the library, each carrying an envelope containing his share of the reward.

"Mh..." Platin simply stared at the ground, dragging his heels as he walked. Suddenly a hand slapped his back, breaking his reverie a second time. "Wah!"

"Don't go to sleep! You promised me a one-on-one match, Sleeper!" Ansen reminded his light-haired rival, who only nodded slowly to confirm this.

"Just let me put my reward away—" Platin's hands met empty space when he reached for his left side. The Sleeper's head immediately looked at his left hip, where his satchel usually hung beside. "My bag!"

"You probably left it at the library."

"Let me get it first! Then I'll give you that battle, Ansen!"

"Don't keep me waiting!" Ansen called to his retreating rival.

* * *

><p>The green-haired librarian saw the satchel that belonged to one of his helpers from earlier. He picked it up, hoping to find a name tag. "Now that I look back on it, I never knew his name," he said to himself. "But he'll probably come back for it."<p>

*Knock* *Knock*

"Speak of the devil," he noted as he climbed up the stairs to answer the door that connected the gloomy basement to the main library. He expected to see the blond boy with the blue cap on his head waiting on the other side when he opened it.

What he did not expect was nothing.

The man blinked, poking his head out to look around the library. Not even a soul in sight. "That's odd," he murmured as he shut the door to the basement again. "I could have sworn someone knocked." If only he peeled his eyes away from the stairs as he went down again.

If only he noticed the figure clinging to the ceiling, a malevolent smirk on their face.

The librarian heard a thud behind him, making him wheel around to search for the source of the noise. But once again, no one was there. Shaking his head in an attempt to shake off the feeling as well, he started down the stairs once more. But with each step, he swore he heard another set of feet falling in time with his, only the sounds came from up ahead. "I need to get out more," he murmured.

By the time he reached the basement floor, he heard another knock at the door. Groaning, the librarian raced back up, skipping several steps at a time before he wrenched open the door. "Yes?" he said in a tone that came out harsher than he meant it to.

The blond schoolboy flinched at the librarian's harsh tone, but quickly recovered. "Uh, I—I left my bag here and I—"

"You came here to get it back," the librarian finished, receiving a confirming nod from the boy. "All right, wait here." For the third time today, he descended the stairs, skipping two steps at a time. As he did this, he swore he heard something moving around in the lowest level of the library but he tried to pass this off as the boy upstairs pacing the floor. Still, the boy would have to be stomping for the sounds to be that loud or he was a talented ventriloquist.

A drawer slammed shut by the time the librarian reached the basement floor. The green-haired man tensed from the noise of a cabinet sliding back into place that still echoed within the barely lit room. His eyes narrowed in the direction of where the sound originated, yet nothing met his eye except a lone filing cabinet. He noticed that the handle of the top drawer shook slightly, as if someone slammed the drawer with considerable force.

"Who's there?" he questioned, his query echoing back to him. By now he knew that he wasn't alone downstairs. No one but another person could be able to open a cabinet and slam it shut.

Suddenly he felt a gust, as if the ventilation system was activating. But it didn't seem to last for long.

The green-haired man strode over to the cabinet from where the sound originated. He opened the top cabinet to see if anything was missing when something caught his eye.

A lone, short strand of hair.

He picked it up gently from where it sat, resting on top of the files for "Loran" and "Lorenz". The librarian noted how the strand seemed to change colors. Holding it up to the light, he discovered that it was. It shifted from fair blond to light brown and over again. "What are you doing here?" he murmured, wondering how a curious strand of hair made its way into the cabinet.

Remembering that someone was waiting for him, he decided to place the hair strand in a small plastic bag that he used to contain specimens whenever he wasn't on the job. Setting it inside a first aid box that rested beside his own bag, he grabbed the satchel that belonged to the blond boy and ran back up the steps.

The schoolboy came into his view as he landed softly on the floor with his back to the librarian. Part of the adult wondered if the boy started jumping out of boredom. "Ahem."

Platin jumped a little before he spun on the spot to face the librarian. "Oh, thank goodness," he said in relief as he reached for his bag.

"Pardon me for taking my time," the librarian said, handing the bag over to its owner. "There were some things down there that made me overlook your bag."

"That's all right." Platin gently eased his satchel underneath his left arm. Now that he looked closer, the librarian noticed that Platin was holding his left side carefully. "Is something wrong with your side?" the green-haired man asked.

"Hm?" Platin looked at his left side, which was where the librarian's eyes were. "Oh—I ran into a wall on my way here."

"And it still hurts?" The librarian asked skeptically, unable to believe that a wall could leave much pain unless one was thrown at it.

"That, and I bumped into a table back there," Platin added, rubbing the back of his head with his right arm.

"I see..." The librarian stepped back down, wanting to make sure all of the documents were accounted for and that nothing was missing. "Well...be careful as you leave," he advised the boy.

"Oh, I will," Platin muttered under his breath as he reentered the main library, shutting the door to the basement behind him.

* * *

><p>Ansen tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for his rival to return. "Don't tell me he flaked out on me," he grumbled. "That guy promised to fight with me."<p>

"I never promise, ninja. I only confirm."

Ansen spun on the spot to see Platin standing behind him—on top of a lamp-post. "How the heck did you get up there?" he yelled in surprise.

"There's a fine difference between us," Platin responded, one of his brown eyes regarding Ansen as if he were an insect—a feeling that the latter experienced for so long. "I am an acrobat—you're just a boy who wants to be a ninja."

Once again, steam poured out of Ansen's ears. "I repeat, do NOT call me a ninja!" he shouted to his out-of-the-blue overconfident rival.

"Or what?" Platin challenged. He leaned down a bit, keeping his balance on the lamp-post. "Ninja?" he added.

Ansen adjusted his tasseled beret as he glowered at his adversary. "All right, Sleeper. You asked for it!"

Ansen put his hands together and pulled them away until he held a crystalline archer's bow set with an arrow against the string. Acting fast, he aimed towards Platin and let the arrow fly. The Sleeper moved out of the way calmly while retaining his balance on the lamp-post.

The taller of the two hurled something at the shorter: two crystalline throwing stars that suddenly curved in the air to hit Platin in the back. But they passed through his body, which disappeared when contact was made.

"An illusion?" Ansen exclaimed as he searched wildly for Platin's real body.

"Do you know what the key to Illusion Magic is?" a voice said next to his ear. Ansen whirled around only to see nothing. "You make your opponent see one thing, when in reality—" The scene before him rippled like a lake's surface before a powerful wind blew. "—you do something else right under their nose!"

"Wh-what is this?" The Eastern-looking boy watched as the scene swirled around him, trapping him in a spiraling world where colors faded quickly. Sprays of water hit him in the face, making the boy realize what was happening too late. Before he knew it, he was caught in a whirlpool.

He had no time to take a breath as he went under. Ansen struggled to breathe, but choked on water instead.

Before he could faint from lack of air, the water dispersed. From a pedestrian's view, it would look as though the park's pond was parting around two boys: Ansen knelt on the pond's soggy floor, soaked head to toe with pond water while Platin stood just a meter away, his arms spread wide while brown eyes narrowed in concentration.

Ansen coughed up the last traces of water in his lungs—he swore he felt a small fry in his mouth. Alternating between coughing and spitting, he managed to raise his head to look at Platin in his—wait, _brown_ eyes? "Hey!" Ansen rose to his feet and dragged his waterlogged body over to his rival. "Your eyes!"

"What about them?" Platin yawned as he adjusted his blue cap.

"They're supposed to be green!" Ansen pointed out. "And come to think of it—your hair's supposed to be blond, not brown!"

"And we're supposed to live in a country without power-hungry morons. Does Saber Tooth follow that criteria? No," Platin scoffed as he climbed up to the shore of the pond. He glanced back at Ansen, who remained where he stood gaping at his rival. "Snap to it, unless you want me to drown you again?" he added.

Ansen scowled as he climbed onto the shore while trying to squeeze water out of his suikan. He could hear the pond being restored to its normal state as water crashed against the muddy ground. "Next time, I'll get you for sure," he grumbled.

Platin smiled slyly as he walked away. "Sure you will, little ni—wah!" Ansen looked up in time to see Platin slip and fall into the pond. The boy went under the depths while his blue cap floated on the surface.

Recognizing an opportunity for revenge, Ansen raced over and plucked the cap out of the water just when Platin's arm rose from the depths to get it. Platin used a finger to motion for Ansen to return his hat, but Ansen had other plans. "You want the hat back?" he asked, raising it above his head. "You'll need to come out of the water to get it, Sleeper!"

A hand grabbed his left ankle and yanked him into the pond, eliciting a surprised yelp from Ansen as he went under again. This time he was able to come back up for air whereas Platin didn't allow him to in their little spat earlier. By the time he breached the surface, Platin stood a little ways from him in the water while he fixed his hat back over his blond head.

"A word of warning," Platin said as he pulled his cap down to the point that it nearly covered green eyes that glowered at Ansen. "Never touch the hat."

"Good to see you back to normal, Sleeper!" Ansen exclaimed as he fixed his own hat.

Platin tilted his head as he frowned in confusion. "'Back to normal'? What do you mean?"

"You...well—your hair and eyes were brown a while ago and you acted...different. Confident, smug, mean—don't you remember our battle?"

"Our...battle?" Platin held his head as he climbed out of the water. "We had a battle?"

"You promised and everything. And you tried to drown me!" Ansen cried, waving his arms towards the pond. "Does Illusion Magic ring a bell?"

"...No..." Platin replied, his voice small and weak. Ansen finally noticed how stressed out Platin looked, especially with his confused expression and dark circles. It made him feel sorry for the younger boy who had yet to reach puberty. "I remember leaving the library with you...but why can't I remember anything after that?" He pulled his blue cap over his eyes. "Why can't I remember anything today?"

* * *

><p>"No, no, no!" The green-haired librarian knocked everything off the desk with a sweep of his arm in anger. "I can't be missing a file!" But the fact that a single file went missing under his nose didn't sit well with him. He could already see himself out of a job if the mayor learned what happened. He didn't know what to do if he lost this job and a steady income. It was bad enough when he lost his job in his old guild. He could already hear his old guild mates taunting him for being unable to support himself. It didn't help that the name on the file was the same as one of his former guild mates.<p>

Wait...

"Well, well." The librarian rubbed his hands together as he contemplated the situation. "Lady Luck has finally returned to me."

He remembered the hair strand he found in the filing cabinet that once contained the now lost file. Picking up the first aid box from the ground, he opened it and took out the bag that contained the hair. "I wonder...can you help me find the thief, little friend?"

* * *

><p>Platin sat alone at a park bench after Ansen suggested that he sit down to mull things over. So his rival left him to his confused thoughts while going off on his own—probably so he didn't have to deal with an amnesiac.<p>

_Not that I blame him_, Platin thought as he examined the lines on his palm. He was no palm reader, but it was still interesting to see every wrinkle his hands possessed.

"Here." Platin looked up to see a hand offering him a large, squishy rice cake. "What, you don't like mochi?"

"...Thanks." Platin accepted the mochi and took a small bite from it, chewing it slowly. Ansen sat down on the park bench next to Platin, watching him eat while that depressed look never left his face.

Ansen cleared his throat, hoping to ease the uncomfortable tension radiating from Platin. "If you're still depressed about not remembering...don't think too much on it. My mama said that living in the past tends to drag you down."

Platin swallowed before he began to chew on the mochi thoughtfully. "That's you...but...you don't forget everything that happens to you, do you, Ansen?"

Ansen couldn't find a way to argue that. "Well, no..." Deciding to change the topic, he added, "So what's the story behind the hat?"

Platin froze, making Ansen wonder if he had gone too far. "Okay, forget I ever said that. No, don't forget—you don't have to answer if you don't want to," Ansen blurted.

"It's...fine." Platin gulped, feeling the sweet rice cake go down his throat. "It's just...special to me. Without it...I just feel...um..."

"Insecure?" Ansen suggested, having experienced the same feeling himself.

"Exactly..."

"You know what I think? That hat's like your own baby blanket." In one bite, Ansen devoured half of his mochi, making Platin gape at the other boy's feat. Ansen noticed his blond rival's dumbfounded expression and looked at his already half-eaten snack. "What?" he mumbled through a mouth full of mochi. "It's not my fault you eat like a girl."

Initially the comment made him wince, but Platin's depressed look was replaced by one of annoyance. "Funny," Platin commented with a small laugh. "And here I was thinking I was rude for thinking you ate like a dog."

"Woof woof, Sleeper," Ansen said sarcastically. "At least dogs have cleaner mouths than humans."

The two boys traded remarks and insults, which made Platin forget what he had been upset about as he tried not to laugh at the insults that came out of their mouths.

Ansen mentally did a victory dance once he saw a hint of a smile on his rival's face. He didn't know what possessed him to throw the first insult, but he felt better now that his rival wasn't so sad over memories that he couldn't recall for some reason. Even if it was annoyance and childish mocking, it was better than seeing the blond so distraught.

Somehow, the banter turned into an eating contest that Ansen won without a doubt—he stuffed the rest of his mochi in his mouth and swallowed it after much chewing. "That's cheating!" Platin exclaimed.

"It was the most delicious thing in the world," Ansen fake sniffled, which made Platin hold his stomach as he laughed. "And you still laugh like a girl," he retorted.

"S-sorry...it's just...you acted like you never had a mochi," Platin wheezed as the last laughs died down.

"I used to eat a lot of mochi when I was a kid. But my mama caught me trying to sneak out a mochi she made for my grandpa, and since then the only times she would make mochi were New Year's and special occasions."

Platin tilted his head. "You tried to eat your grandpa's mochi?" he asked, unable to see how that would anger a woman besides having to make another one.

"It wasn't my fault the snack Mama made for Grandpa was better than what she made for me!" Ansen defended.

* * *

><p><strong>8:30 PM<strong>

Streetlights flickered in the night as a tall figure made its way over to the town's clock tower. The figure stared up at the belfry before he promptly jumped from support to gutters on the church walls until he reached the bell chamber. Eyes narrowed at the shadows, where a smaller figure could be seen resting lazily against the wall of one of the openings, right under one of the four bells.

"It took me a while, but I never expected the thief to be so young," the taller of the two applauded.

"...What do you want?" The smaller figure said to the intruder.

"Isn't it obvious?" A hand extended towards the boy. "I want what you stole from me."

"What value does it have to you?" The boy in the shadows inquired.

"Well..." The man put his hands up in surrender. "I would ask you the same, but I already know the answer. Though it does raise a few questions as to why you would steal your own records."

"Oh, but the file doesn't belong to _me_." The boy got off the stone opening and retrieved a bag from a corner of the bell chamber. "The name on the file belongs to an entirely different person. But I have need of this file if I'm to carry out my plan, so I ask again: what value does this file have to _you_?"

"Well..." The man spread his arms wide. "It's not just the file, but the _name_ on the file that caught my eye."

The boy tilted his head back as he regarded the man coldly with a single eye. "I suppose you're here to play goody two-shoes and turn me in, aren't you?"

"Not at all," the man smiled. "Rather, I want to _work_ with you."

This caught the boy's attention as his head raised slightly to look at the man in the eye. "Go on," he said coolly, crossing his arms.

"I want to land a blow on a certain man, and he happens to share a surname with the person whose file you've taken."

"I don't see what your plan has for me."

"Well, I would look the other way and pretend this theft never happened."

"Too predictable," the boy scoffed as he looked away from the adult. "You'll need something higher than that if you want my cooperation."

The adult raised an eyebrow at this: this boy was more difficult than his appearance seemed to suggest. "Oh? Then what about full access to every database in the world?"

He saw a satisfied sneer cross the boy's face. "That is tempting," the boy acknowledged as he rubbed his hands together. "However, what makes you think I have need of every database in the world?"

"The file you stole...even though it's useless to you, you still keep it." The man leaned back on his heels. "You want to erase her existence from the very face of Earthland, don't you?"

The sound of applause rang through the silent bell chamber, originating from the boy in the shadows. "Very nicely done," the boy praised. "So you would help me?"

"I would gladly do whatever it takes to devastate my adversary and his guild."

"Oh?" The boy started to pace the length of the bell chamber. "Not just the man, but his guild as well?"

"I used to belong to that guild, only to be thrown out when I lost my memories one day. The man I speak of restored them, but did nothing to stop my excommunication."

"I see." The boy continued to pace while he held his chin with his right hand. "I never took you for a man able to hold a grudge. However...all this talk of revenge and humiliation...it would be a waste to put that much effort on one man, wouldn't you say?"

"What are you saying?" the man asked.

"It's quite simple, really." The boy stopped in his tracks, looking out over the town below. "There is power in numbers—a brick wall, for example. Even if one brick is removed, it still stands as long as the foundation remains firm. But if the entire structure is undermined in anyway, then you only need to remove one brick to collapse the entire wall. If you want to devastate one man, you'll need to raze his entire guild first. Such humiliation shouldn't be kept hush-hush, should it?"

"Humiliating his guild won't be easy, especially not in public. Their determination to keep their public image isn't so conquerable."

"Then you need a determination of another sort to counter that. Give the people a reason to have that guild brought to its knees. Can you do that?"

The man chuckled to himself, admiring the boy's strategic mind. "With great pleasure, young man. There's no need to worry about the first course of action. I've already executed it...two years ago."

A malevolent smirk made itself known on the boy's face. "Then all that's needed—" A small, silver blade reflected moonlight as its wielder raised it up to his lips. "—is the declaration of war."


	12. Declaration

**X790, April 12, 3:45 PM**

**Lamia Scale**

A pot of tea sat next to Ooba Babasaama along with a teacup. Ooba's brows alternated between furrowing in concern to relaxing slightly. The tea beside her was already cold since the person she intended it for wasn't here yet.

Ooba picked up the cup, only to witness a small crack forming on the ceramic material. The elderly guild master frowned. "Something...something's not right," she murmured.

"Ooba-dono." Ooba looked up from the cracked cup to meet the eyes of her guild's ace. "Something worries you, no?" Jura inquired.

"..." Ooba set the cup back down to resume spinning her arms. "The job I allowed Platin to take was simple enough for him to return by noon yesterday," she informed. "But the boy never came back."

"Perhaps Platin-dono had other arrangements?" Jura suggested as he stroked his beard. "I believe Yuka-dono said that Platin made his first rival."

Ooba chuckled to herself. "Yes, I could certainly see him fighting a rival. Maybe Yuka is right, Jura. Maybe I am becoming too protective of that boy."

"It does mean that you care about your subordinates, Ooba-dono."

Frantic pounding at the guild's doors caught everyone's attention before a chubby man raced into the guild hall, out of breath. "Obaba...someone...Platin...hurt..."

"Get a hold of yourself, man!" Lyon, who returned an hour ago from a mission, shook the chubby man's shoulders to set him straight. "What about the little sleepwalker?"

"He...he's here..." the stout man panted. "But...there's something wrong with him...the person who found him said he was attacked..."

"WHAT!" Before anyone could react, Ooba rushed outside with Jura following after her. She barely crossed the threshold when the dark green-haired librarian from yesterday ran up to her with Platin on his back.

Platin...

Ooba tried to look at anything but Platin's left arm, but the bloodied bandages on his upper arm were difficult to ignore. Platin's tattered blue blazer was removed and draped over his shoulders, giving Lamia Scale a good look at his left arm, which was exposed due to the fact that the sleeve had to be rolled up for the bandages.

"Platin!" Yuka cried when he reached the doorway.

"Are you his master?" The green-haired man asked Ooba, his eyes fearful and concerned behind his glasses.

"What happened to Platin?" Ooba demanded, more concerned than ever for her youngest subordinate.

The green-haired man twisted his neck a bit to look at the blue-capped boy on his back. "I don't know what happened, ma'am...I found him this afternoon like this. I treated his injury before he asked me to take him to his guild, but he's losing blood! I tried to take him to the hospital, but he begged me not to take him there—"

"Ugh..." Platin's eyes opened slowly, blinking in confusion when he saw his guild gathered at the doors. "O-Obaba?"

"Platin!" Ooba ran up to her youngest member as the green-haired man set him carefully on his feet but kept a hold on his shoulders to support him. "What on Earthland happened to you?"

"I..." Platin looked at his left arm, the fear in his eyes combined with his dark circles made him look ready to cry. "I...I don't know..." he answered with a shaking voice. "I...I can't remember..." Without warning, Platin's eyelids drooped over green orbs as his body swayed. He almost collapsed on the stairs if it weren't for the green-haired man, who kept him from doing so.

"He's in shock," the green-haired man said, drawing all eyes back to him. "It's not uncommon when some victims survive major injuries," he explained as he put Platin on his back again. "Is there an infirmary in this guild?"

"Yes, but—"

"That will do!" The green-haired librarian ran into the guild without invitation, leaving the resident wizards to follow after him.

The librarian who employed Platin along with Ansen burst into the infirmary, somehow knowing where it was without being told where it was to begin with. He set Platin down on a bed, adjusting his hat so that it stayed on his head before he opened his bag. From it, he produced a first aid box and folded cloth bundle. In one move, he spread out the cloth, revealing a full set of surgical instruments, each with its own pocket.

"Wait!" The librarian wheeled around to see Ooba rushing into the infirmary. "I don't mean to be rude, but are you sure you're a doctor?" Ooba asked.

The librarian produced his wallet and opened it swiftly so that Ooba could see the doctor's license card in the clear sleeve. "I understand your suspicions, ma'am. I would be too in your position. If you don't mind—?"

"Oh! Of course!" Ooba stepped out of the infirmary just as the librarian/doctor pulled out a syringe needle. The elderly guild master closed the door on her subordinate and the doctor.

"Obaba!" Ooba looked at the sea of faces before her, all wondering what would become of their sleep-fighter. "Is he going to be all right?" Sherry asked.

Ooba sighed. "Platin...he's in good hands right now."

Her guild matched her relief, letting out breaths that they held ever since Platin was carried into the infirmary. "But who could have done this?" Sherry wondered.

"Oon..." Toby murmured, worried for once for the young blond boy.

"Obaba?" Yuka asked.

"..." Ooba looked back at the infirmary door, where she knew Platin was being treated behind it. "I don't like what this means, but I swear upon our guild that the culprit will not get away with it!"

* * *

><p><strong>Saber Tooth<strong>

A frown remained firm on Hestia's face as she sat on her stool at the guild's bar.

"Tia-kun, smile!" Lector cried. "The food doesn't taste good when you're sad!"

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch chirped.

"What did you do to her, Lore?" Rietta demanded the masked man that escorted her back.

"She's been like this since I picked her up from school," Rufus defended. He remembered clearly that Hestia wouldn't say a word to him when he came to get her, not even on the train ride to the guild.

Rietta propped her elbow on the counter as she came to eye level with the child. "Hestia."

"..." Hestia brought her eyes up to look at the chef, maintaining an indifferent look that vaguely resembled Rogue's.

"Did something happen at school today?" Rietta questioned.

"..." The chef never saw Hestia so unresponsive before. Rietta tried holding a peach, which was Hestia's favorite fruit, up to her face, but Hestia didn't budge.

_Time for more drastic measures_, Rietta thought as she looked at her watch. "One hundred Jewels per word bonus pocket money—go!"

The Exceed, Rufus, and Rietta stared at Hestia intently, expecting her to let out a stream of words. But Hestia never even opened her mouth. "Something's definitely wrong," Rietta said. Her most effective method never failed until now.

"Hestia." Rufus spun Hestia's stool towards him. "Is something wrong?"

"..."

"Hestia," Rufus tried again, his voice taking on a firmer tone. "You know you can talk to us if something's wrong."

"..." Hestia looked at the concerned faces of the four mages before her. "...Miss Tina didn't come to school today," she said sadly.

The Exceed and Rietta fell comically while Rufus' brows rose. "That—that was it?" Rietta exclaimed. "She was sad because a teacher didn't come in?"

"Miss Tina is her favorite, apparently," Rufus informed before he redirected his attention to Hestia. "Hestia...is there a reason you call her Miss Tina? According to my memories, you're supposed to address teachers by their surname."

Hestia tilted her head. "Um...I don't know. When Miss Tina substituted for our class, she just told us to call her Miss Tina."

"So you don't know her last name?"

"Nope."

"Why the sudden interest in Hestia's teachers, Lore?" Rietta asked as she returned to her post.

"I am by no means paranoid." Rufus tapped his cheek as he recalled his last meeting with Miss Tina. "But there's something about that girl...that's not right."


	13. A Sense of Honor

**Bonjour, my friends! Madam Facilier is here!**

**Yes, I will update Anathema, for those of you who follow the story of Hestia. This story—**Remember Me?**—is something of a side story to Anathema that takes place two years before. Not exactly a side story—more like a prequel. Except here, we see a different side to the one and only Memory-Make wizard of Saber Tooth. The spotlight will shift, in case those of you are wondering why I'm "off-track".**

**Right now, we're going into zoom in on Platin, who is being treated due to an attack that hurt his arm, and we'll learn who attacked him. Don't be surprised if we skip ahead in the story's time.**

* * *

><p><strong>X790, April 12, 8:45 PM<br>**

**Lamia Scale**

Even in the late hours, most of Lamia Scale remained at the guild while they waited for the doctor/librarian to come out with any news on Platin's health. Something—_anything_—was better than having to be in the dark.

But even the strongest in the guild were having trouble combating sleepiness. Toby was already fast asleep with his head on the bar counter; Yuka began to nod off, only to jolt awake before the cycle started all over again; even Jura and Lyon couldn't keep their eyes open. One of the few people who was totally awake was Ooba Babasaama, and she was pacing outside the infirmary.

The door to the infirmary opened and Platin's employer from the library came out with his own satchel on his shoulder. Most of the guild raised their heads at the sound, sitting up when they saw the dark green-haired man. Ooba immediately ran over to the young doctor, prepared to anticipate the worst. "Well?" she asked.

The doctor/librarian glanced behind himself before turning back to Ooba and gave her a thumbs up. "He's stable."

The majority that was awake erupted in applause, effectively awakening the others that were asleep. "Quiet!" the librarian/doctor yelled. "It's good that the sleeping people are sleeping, but let's not wake the people who shouldn't be awake."

"So shut it!" Ooba shouted, and her guild calmed down.

"I said he's stable," the green-haired man continued with a more serious tone, "but that does not mean he's totally healthy yet."

"What more is there?" Lyon asked.

The doctor/librarian jerked his head towards the closed infirmary door. "As I said before, I found him this afternoon, so I have no idea how long he was left like that. Even if I did, it's obvious to tell that he lost too much blood."

"But will he be okay?"

"He'll need to stay on bed rest for a few weeks. Other than that—" The doctor handed Ooba a list. "He'll be somewhat iron-deficient, so make sure he eats a healthy amount of iron and carbohydrates."

Ooba shook hands with Platin's employer, who also saved the blond boy's life. "Thank you, doctor."

"No problem at all, ma'am," he replied before Ooba released his hand, allowing him to walk towards the doors to leave. He stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"Is there something else?" Yuka asked.

"While his wound didn't show damage to any major blood vessels...the wound is still deep enough to leave a scar," the green-haired man informed. "If he wants, I could come back and remove it when it heals."

"It's all up to Platin, and he'd probably want it gone," Lyon answered. "When will it heal?"

"I'd estimate...three weeks to heal completely," the doctor said. "And...there's something else that concerns me. When I was stitching him up...there was something about his wound that left me wondering..."

"Yes?" Ooba asked as she spun her arms.

The librarian/doctor shook his head. "No, I'm probably jumping to conclusions. I'll return in three weeks to observe his scar, and I'll remove it at his request."

Ooba nodded. "Thank you, Doctor..."

"Please," the green-haired man said, a smile slowly forming on his face. "Call me Eusine."

* * *

><p>Yuka sighed. "You're more trouble than you're worth, Platin. You realize that?" He didn't expect the boy to respond, since he was fast asleep. A sad smile formed on his mouth. "Maybe we should have asked the doctor how to remove your dark circles, too," he added jokingly.<p>

He swore he saw the hint of a grin form on Platin's sleeping face. "I'll take your hat off so you can sleep better," he said, his hand reaching for the blue cap.

Before he could touch the cap, Platin's hand grabbed Yuka's wrist. The Wave flinched, but instead of the death grip he expected, Platin held his wrist gently but firmly. "...Please don't take it off," Platin murmured.

"...All right." Platin released Yuka's wrist while the Wave sat down in a chair next to Platin's bed. Yuka observed Platin's hair change colors in his sleep: from light brown to blond, and back again. "Hey, Platin?"

"...hm?"

"How come you won't let anyone touch your hat?"

Platin didn't respond for a while, making Yuka wonder if the blond boy was totally asleep now. But a tired response from the Sleeper told him he wasn't. "It...It's a gift...from a girl," Platin mumbled.

Yuka couldn't help but smile inside. "Did she have a crush on you?" he teased.

"...More like...a thank-you gift..." Platin yawned but showed no signs of waking. "W-we...were in school together...The other kids...they picked on her a lot because she wasn't a good magic user. One day...they did something that really...messed her up. So I went after the bullies—" Yuka swore that Platin's hair changed from its shifting colors to a solid light brown. "—and I beat them to a pulp," he concluded. "But...that wasn't the first time I got in trouble...so...I got expelled for that."

"I bet your parents were mad," Yuka commented.

Platin's hair shifted back to his natural blond. "Just grand...mother was...for a short time. But...before I left...the girl met me at the school gates...and she gave me this hat. It was big...but she knew I'd grow into it..."

"So that hat is special to you because the girl's gratitude is in it?"

"...Yup," Platin agreed in his sleep. "And...it came in handy on some occasions...I was caught in the crossfire between two mages...and now...I look like a monk with his head shaved bald—zzz..." Yuka jolted at Platin's transition from sleep-talking to total sleep.

Yuka sighed again. "...Just sleep, Platin. You need it for your life." While the boy slept, Yuka proceeded to remove Platin's shoes and his socks so as to let him sleep a bit more comfortably. Even in deep sleep, the Wave knew not to mess with the Sleeper's hat thanks to the victim who tried and failed both times.

Yuka slid Platin's right sock off and began to do the same with the left. Platin's green guild mark stood out against the boy's pale ankle, but a small white square applied next to it captured his attention more than the guild's tattoo. "What have you been up to, Platin?" Yuka murmured.

* * *

><p><strong>~Three weeks later~<strong>

**X790, May 3, 9:20 AM**

**Lamia Scale**

"Obaba! I'm heading out!"

"Oh, no you don't, sonny! Not until you eat your breakfast!" The clatter of dishes could be heard as a tray was set down on the counter.

"But Obaba, I can't eat this all on my own!"

"You're not leaving this guild until not even a crumb is left!"

"Poor Platin," Yuka said as the aforementioned boy began to eat into the large breakfast Ooba served him. Half of his breakfast consisted of iron-rich foods, which was what Eusine recommended.

Lyon snorted. "'Poor Platin'? Obaba never babies us like that!"

"It's a sign of love!" Sherry exclaimed, swooning dramatically.

"He's not gonna finish that until lunch," Yuka guessed. "Obaba wants to keep him here for his safety."

Lyon's stomach growled, making the ice wizard get up from his seat. "Let me go help the kid with his burden."

"You just want to eat food!" Toby yelled.

"Lyon, if you even so much as eat Platin's breakfast, I'll spin you until lunch!" Ooba screamed at her ice wizard.

"That didn't go well," Yuka remarked as a somewhat dejected Lyon sat back down with them.

"...It didn't smell good anyway," Lyon grumbled.

* * *

><p><strong>10:05 AM<strong>

"Obaba, I'm done!"

"That was faster than I thought."

Ooba sighed, unable to go back on her word even though she didn't expect Platin to finish so soon. "Fine. You can leave."

"Thank you!"

"But you're taking Yuka with you!" Ooba added.

"What?" Platin asked.

"Why me, Obaba?" Yuka demanded.

"I would ask Toby as well, but he just left the guild, didn't he?" Ooba placed a pile of missions she handpicked for Platin and set them down before the boy. "Pick the ones you want to do. They should be simple enough to complete quickly."

"Okay." Platin shuffled through the flyers, stopping occasionally to either set a flyer in another pile or to move on. By the time he was done, only five flyers sat in front of him.

Yuka looked at the location of every job. "These are all within our area," he noted before he realized that was what Ooba intended: to keep Platin within her range so he didn't get in danger again.

"Yuka." The Wave met the eyes of his master, who gave him a serious look. "Under no circumstances are you to leave him alone."

* * *

><p><strong>1:35 PM<strong>

If Yuka had realized earlier that the accumulated reward from doing so many simple jobs would be so much, he would've done it in a heartbeat.

"Thank you, Yuka-san," Platin said as they completed the final job on the list.

"I'm just looking out for you, Platin," Yuka answered as they split the reward. "And so is Obaba."

Platin slumped forward at the mention of the old woman. "I think she made me gain weight."

Yuka snickered as quietly as he could. "Yeah, I can imagine."

"I hope she doesn't give me a giant lunch like she did with break-wah!" Yuka spun around to see Platin dodge a crystal throwing knife.

"Where were you, Sleeper?" Yuka looked up to where the voice originated. Lo and behold, Ansen stood on top of the lamp-post near where they stood. Ansen jumped off and landed on the ground, fixing his tasseled beret afterwards. "It was really boring without you!"

"Hi, Ansen," Platin greeted before he yawned widely.

_I swear, where have I seen this kid before?_ Yuka thought. The face looked familiar, but he couldn't place it in his memories.

Ansen pointed a finger at Platin. "I demand a rematch! I'm going to beat you for sure!"

"...I don't want to," Platin said bluntly, making Ansen fall comically on his face.

"How can you say that so calmly?" Ansen exclaimed as he returned to his feet. "If you're challenged to a duel, you have to accept! Everyone knows that!"

"Kid, that's out of the question," Yuka cut in, coming between the two boys.

"...And I can't," Platin agreed.

"Can't or won't?" Ansen asked.

For some reason, the air felt colder around them. It was odd, since today was a warm spring day. "How about...both?" Platin said in a low voice. Yuka looked at Platin, jolting in surprise when he saw that his blond hair was now light brown along with his eyes. "I _can't_ fight you because you're not at my level yet. And I _won't_ fight you—because you're not even worth my time, _ninja_," Platin sneered.

Steam poured out of Ansen's ears. "I repeat, do NOT call me a ninja!" he yelled angrily.

_Ninja?_ A number of thoughts processed through the Wave's mind as he examined Ansen again so as to understand why Platin would call him that. It was then that Yuka noticed how Ansen's eyes narrowed in annoyance, which gave his brown orbs a harsh depth. _Wait, I've seen those eyes before,_ Yuka thought.

Suddenly, Yuka realized why the boy looked familiar, and it wasn't in a good way. Yuka wanted to think that Ansen's glower was purely coincidental, but the other boy's uncanny resemblance frightened Yuka. "Platin, don't egg him on," he warned.

"Too late." Ansen adjusted his beret. "Ready or not, here I come, Sleeper!" The Eastern-looking boy put his hands together and drew them away so he could throw several crystal throwing stars at Platin. The Sleeper leaped impossibly high into the air until he stood on top of the lamp-post where Ansen stood not too long ago.

"The more you use those kinds of weapons, the more you prove how much of a ninja you are," Platin taunted with a snide smile.

A throbbing vein could be seen on Ansen's temple. "For the last time, I am NOT a ninja!" he screamed at his rival. Ansen put his hands together before he opened them: a large crystal condor soared though the air, flying once around the lamp-post before lunging for the blond boy. No sooner did the crystal golem pierce Platin with its beak did Platin's body dissipate.

"That was the illusion of me standing there," Platin's voice said behind him. Ansen wheeled around to see Platin standing beside the park fountain.

"Both of you, that's enough!" Yuka called to the young combatants.

Ansen and Platin charged towards each other, the former's right arm pulled back as crystal covered the length of his arm, encasing it in a crystal armor.

Yuka let out a sigh of frustration before he extended an arm in Ansen's direction. "Wave—!"

A sharp pain from Platin's left arm forced the boy on his knees as he held his wounded limb. While his hair reverted back to its blond shade and his eyes back to dark green, Platin gripped his upper arm in an attempt to soothe the pain. Ansen stopped in his tracks with his crystallized fist just inches from his rival's frightened face. "Sleeper...were you injured?" he asked in a low voice.

Platin nodded slowly, unsure of what his rival would think of his current predicament.

Ansen's arm reverted back to its normal state as he grabbed Platin's hand and helped him up. "Great, now I feel guilty for attacking you like that!" he groaned as he pushed away brown strands to rub his forehead.

Yuka released a breath of relief as he lowered his arm, cancelling his spell.

"You...we had a battle?" Platin asked, holding his head in confusion.

"Well, I tried to have a battle with you, not knowing you were injured," Ansen explained to his oblivious rival, who listened intently so as not to miss a single detail.

"So I guess you won this time, huh?" Platin mumbled as he rubbed his eyes.

"...Nope! This doesn't count!"

"What? I thought you wanted to beat me—"

"Hey, I have a sense of honor, Sleeper!" Ansen defended as he removed his hand from his forehead. "I'll beat you all right, but we'll do it with honor! Otherwise, it leaves a bad memory!"

Platin laughed softly, tilting his head. "You're not bad at all, are you?"

"Platin! Yuka!" The Lamia Scale wizards and Ansen wheeled around at the sound of Sherry's voice. The Doll Attack mage raced towards the three, slightly out of breath when she came close to them.

"Sherry-san, what's going on?" Platin asked.

"Eusine's at the guild," Sherry informed. "He wants to check on your wound and then he'll remove it if you don't want the scar."

"Oh..." Platin stared at his left arm, his sleeve covering the bandages underneath. "Was it that deep?"

"According to him, yes. Now come on! We don't want to keep him waiting!"

"You go on ahead with Platin, Sherry," Yuka said to his guild mates. The Wave stared intently at Ansen, who matched his gaze. "I'll catch up."

Sherry shrugged before she took Platin's hand and dragged him along. The Sleeper looked back and waved before he and Sherry turned the corner.

Ansen and the Wave stared each other down, with Yuka's eyes narrowing in distrust. "Say, Ansen?"

"Yeah?" Ansen replied, never breaking eye contact with the Lamia Scale wizard.

"Your last name—does it happen to be Aomori, by any chance?" Yuka asked.

"...You've got the wrong person," the dark-haired boy said coolly.

"Do I?" Yuka relaxed slightly as he turned away. "Sorry, then," he apologized. "You just resembled this man I met a while back...and he wasn't so friendly. I just wanted to know if you were connected to him in anyway."

The Wave walked away without another word, leaving Ansen to watch his back disappear as he rounded the same corner Sherry and Platin passed earlier.

Ansen let out a breath of relief. "That was scary." He held his chin like a wise man would in deep thought. "But for him to mention you by your surname...what did you do to him, cousin?"

* * *

><p><strong>Lamia Scale<strong>

Platin entered the infirmary with Sherry beside him. "Oh!" Platin cried when he saw his doctor. "You're from the library!"

"Good to see you, too!" Eusine greeted as he brought out some supplies from his first aid box. "I imagined that we would meet again...but not under these circumstances."

"I didn't know that you were a doctor, too."

Eusine rubbed the back of his head as he laughed nervously. "I came from a family of doctors, but I wanted to be a wizard. My family convinced me to finish my medical studies so that I could have some useful skills afterwards."

"Were you in a guild?" Sherry asked.

"...Once," Eusine admitted sadly. "It didn't exactly work out, so now I'm rusty on my magic. However—" The green-haired man brought out a small, deep jar filled with a blue cream. "—the one thing I can admit about my magical capabilities with pride... is that it helped me create this."

"What is it?" Platin asked curiously.

"A scar removal cream. Instead of those crazy expensive surgeries and scar removing creams that take a week to see the results, this is much faster." Eusine pulled on a pair of gloves before he handled a pair of scissors. "The catch is, you have to wait for the wound itself to heal before the scar can be removed, just like every other method."

"So how does it differ from the others?" Sherry inquired.

Eusine motioned for Platin to roll up his sleeve. The blue-capped blond boy unbuttoned the cuff first so that rolling up his sleeve would be easier. "Think of your scar as a layer of dead skin. It's extremely stubborn and seems to possess a mind of its own: no matter what you do, it refuses to come off. This is like an instantaneous exfoliating cream to remove that stubborn patch of dead skin."

"That sounds convenient."

"Did you remove it yet?" Ooba demanded as she spun into the infirmary.

"We're just about to, Obaba," Sherry said to her master while Eusine cut Platin's bandages.

"Let me clean the area first and we'll get started," Eusine muttered as the bandages fell with a final snip. "If this stings, tell me." The green-haired man cleaned up the last traces of dried blood around Platin's wound with a disinfecting wipe.

Sherry gasped when Eusine removed the wipe, unable to believe the formation of the scar. Ooba rushed over to the trio, her eyes wide as she examined the scar for herself.

"O-Obaba...is it that bad?" Platin asked, oblivious to Ooba's inner fury.

Yuka poked his head into the infirmary. "Is the scar gone, Platin?" He noticed Sherry gazing at Platin's upper arm, but Ooba blocked his view from where he stood. "Obaba, what's wrong?"

Ooba spun on the spot to look at her subordinate, allowing Yuka to see Platin's scar.

There was no denying the horror and fury that the master and her two older subordinates felt while the youngest stared at his upper arm, unsure of what was going on. Even Eusine covered his mouth, not knowing what to make of this.

Carved into Platin's left arm, the mark of Saber Tooth bared its fangs at Lamia Scale as if preparing to break Platin's skin again.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**Whew! I am on a roll! Now if only I could update Anathema as fast as Remember Me?, but I'm having difficulties at the moment. I know how I want the story to go, but the biggest hurdle is between where I am now and where I want to go.**

**So now we know by Platin's mark that Saber Tooth attacked him. But what are their motives for doing so?**

**Also, does anyone want to guess what was going through Yuka's mind when he had his little staring contest with Ansen?**


	14. Recall

**X790, May 3**

**Lamia Scale**

Rage: the emotion that Ooba Babasaama and her two older subordinates shared as they stared at the upper left arm of Platin. That was all they could feel at the sight of the fanged scar left on his arm.

Yuka hoped that he was in some sick nightmare, but nothing changed the fact that Saber Tooth's mark was carved into the boy's skin, leaving a scar for the world to see. "Get rid of it," he barked at Eusine, who flinched at his harsh tone.

Eusine slowly regained his composure, but the alarm remained. "B-but it's Platin's decisio—"

"Platin would agree to erase that mark!"

"Wait!" Ooba gave the scar one last look before she turned to her older subordinates. "Before we get rid of it…we'll need a camera."

"A camera? Why?" Sherry asked.

"This isn't exactly a good time for a photo shoot, Obaba," Yuka added, glaring at the scar.

"And this is no time for jokes, Yuka!" Ooba yelled as she spun a finger at the Wave, which caused him to spin in circles against his will. Sherry and Eusine sweated as they watched the poor man get spun to death.

"Obaba…" Ooba whirled around in a rage, her eyes softening when she met her youngest subordinate's terrified face. "…Just tell me what's going on," Platin pleaded while his blue cap dropped to cover his dark green eyes. "Obaba," he tried again in a slightly louder voice, but the old woman ignored her youngest subordinate's call to her as she spoke with Sherry.

"I always knew Saber Tooth was full of heartless wizards," Ooba said under her breath as she spun her arms. "But attacking a child is too far for them!"

"Obaba..."

"But Obaba, what reason would Saber Tooth have to attack us?" Sherry pointed out, trying to be the only rational mind in this situation. "Saber Tooth shouldn't have any reason to see us as a threat. They have the title of number one and we're number two."

"Exactly!" Ooba spun furiously while she exclaimed, "Ever since the Grand Magic Games started, we've come close to taking the gold but we always came second to Saber Tooth! They know who we have in our ranks and they feel threatened by the possibility that we might unleash Jura and Lyon on them!"

"Obaba!" Platin repeated, trying to get his master's attention.

Ooba pointed a bony finger at Yuka, who stopped spinning. The Wave staggered before he reached for the threshold, gripping it for dear life as he tried not to empty his stomach on the floor. "Saber Tooth has tried to put us out of action and we have the proof! Yuka, find someone in the guild with a camera and bring them over! We have evidence!"

"Obaba...will you please...just—LOOK AT ME!" Platin screamed, his volume loud enough to make the other occupants of the room flinch. It was then that Ooba finally met her subordinate's eyes directly. The blond boy stood on his feet, shivering in fright as he gripped his scarred arm. "...What's going on?" he asked, his voice trembling while his right arm came up to cover the Saber Tooth scar. "I don't understand why this happened, and all I know is that some guild did this to stop ours from doing something! I want answers, Obaba! I want to know what they have against us, who they are, and—" Platin's eyes widened before they drooped; the boy fell forward, only to be caught by Eusine, who placed him on a bed.

"What did you do?" Yuka demanded.

"A pressure point," Eusine explained simply while he dug through his bag. "It was a little unethical of me, but stress isn't a good factor on his health, especially after all that blood loss weeks ago. Aha!" The dark green-haired man whipped out a camera from his bag victoriously.

"A doctor with a camera?" Sherry wondered curiously.

"Occasionally, there are some...abusive cases," Eusine said slowly as he adjusted the camera's features. The doctor prepared to take a picture of Platin's arm, but he lowered his camera at the last second.

"Is something wrong?" Ooba asked.

Eusine shook his head but his eyes said differently. "Come to think of it...before this boy...the first case of a similar kind that I ever took a picture of was of an old acquaintance in my former guild. A young woman...and her child..."

"Y-you don't have to take the photo if you feel forced," Sherry stammered, starting to feel guilty for letting the man bring up a bad part of his life.

The dark green-haired man whipped his head towards her so quickly, Sherry swore she heard something crack. The Doll Attack mage could see a fire blazing in the librarian's eyes, but she couldn't understand why. "No," he stated firmly, his knuckles white as he gripped his camera tightly. "It's something that I want to do. Even if it goes against the wishes of the victim...whatever it takes to bring the culprit to justice, I'll do it."

Redirecting his gaze to Platin, Eusine lifted his camera up and photographed the boy's left arm. The young doctor took two shots at different angles before he was finally satisfied. He noticed the resident wizards' questioning looks. "I like to call it insurance," Eusine explained as he put his camera back in his bag. The man dug around until he withdrew a large envelope from it. "In case something is wrong with the first, or if the authorities find it insufficient, the others might be able to convince them."

"Is that what's in there?" Yuka asked, nodding at the envelope in Eusine's hand. "An extra boost?"

Eusine sighed with a smile on his face as he opened the envelope. "Was it that obvious?"

"From the way you spoke, it seemed like you learned after taking photos that weren't enough to persuade the authorities. No offense to your photography skills," Sherry cut in this time.

"None taken." The dark green-haired man withdrew three pictures and laid them out on a table in separate categories. The first photo had to have been taken when Eusine found him: Platin lay on the ground unconscious, with his left arm bloodied. One photo sat alone: Platin's arm had been cleaned up in this one, but blood continued to seep from the wound. The last photo Yuka knew was taken after Eusine's surgery on Platin: the boy's arm was stitched up, holding together the fanged tiger scar.

Eusine tapped the last photo, which all eyes were focused on. "This was what worried me the last time I was here. I wanted to think that this was just some random act of violence, but now...Is there any reason Saber Tooth would attack your guild like this?"

"It's obvious, isn't it? They're number one, we're number two: we've come close to beating them at the Grand Magic Games every year."

"But wouldn't it make more sense for them to attack you if you were number one?" Eusine questioned.

"Er...yeah, it would," Yuka agreed.

"So why would they attack you when they have nothing to fear?"

"I'll tell you why." Ooba pointed an accusing finger at the Saber Tooth scar on her youngest subordinate's arm. "We have Jura and Lyon in our ranks, yet we never sent them out for the games. They think we're playing around with them, not even taking them seriously."

Eusine raised an eyebrow. "So by attacking your members, they think you'll take them more seriously?"

"When you say it like that, it would seem more likely that they wouldn't mess with us," Sherry reasoned. "Lyon is one of our guild's top wizards, bested only by Jura the Wizard Saint. Saber Tooth could have fire users for all we know, but they would have a reason to fear Jura."

"Of course they would!" Ooba spun her arms around each other with a smug smile on her wrinkled face. "Over these past few years, Jura has risen to rank of the sixth strongest Wizard Saint! Regardless of rank, all wizards fear my ace's power!"

Eusine shook his head. "If they did fear you, knowing that you had Jura within your ranks, the smartest move would have been to leave you in peace. And—" The doctor's eyes narrowed at the scar on his patient's arm. "Legal guilds aren't supposed to conflict with each other. Their members can have small battles with members of other guilds, but the guilds can never go to war. The only exception to that law—that would be the Grand Magic Games."

"Or maybe they didn't know Platin was with us," Yuka suggested. His head whipped around, eyes trained on Platin's left boot. "Platin's mark is on his ankle and I've only seen him wear boots so far. It's not like Saber Tooth would bother searching for their opponent's mark before challenging them to a fight."

"Unless Platin had his boots off," Sherry pointed out.

"Even if he had his boots on or off," Eusine interjected as he reached for the jar of blue cream, "what kind of people would inflict harm on a child?"

"Monsters," Yuka and Sherry answered simultaneously.

"They're sadists," Sherry continued simply. "Everyone in the country knows it. They've all seen their behavior at the games."

"Ignoring the top five, even Saber Tooth's lower-ranked members have confidence to spare," Yuka admitted begrudgingly. "I ran into one of them on a job and he got on my nerves by saying that Anti-Mages virtually had no offensive power. I thought I could take him: next thing I knew, he wiped the floor with me. I swear, he looked like an older version of Ansen," he muttered to himself.

"Obaba?" The Doll Attack mage inquired, waiting to hear her guild master's opinion on the matter.

"Ugh..." Ooba spun her arms angrily as she weighed the situation. "I'll need to call Saber Tooth's master, but it will be difficult. The old coot is an angry hermit: he refuses to speak with other guilds and he always looks like someone managed to tick him off."

* * *

><p><strong>Saber Tooth<strong>

"So when do you leave? When will you return?" Rufus asked.

"Immediately," Rietta answered as she went into the kitchen. "And seeing as how I picked three jobs at once," she called from the little window, "I won't be back for a month."

"Oh." Rufus put a hand to his mouth as if he were about to vomit. "I see."

"What, have you really become that dependent on _my_ food?" Rietta shot from kitchen. "And where is that blasted jacket?" she added angrily.

"It would be a lie to say that I don't enjoy your cooking. However, it's not_ my_ stomach that I'm worried about."

***SLAM!***

Sting rushed into the guild hall with Lector on his tail. Rogue and Frosch, however, entered the building calmly, though Frosch possessed a worried expression.

"Although some would argue that they have every reason to worry if you're not around," Rufus finished as Sting came closer to the bar.

Sting came to a stop at the bar when Rietta came out of the kitchen with her jacket on. "Please tell me it's not true," he pleaded with the chef.

"They have to be wrong, right?" Lector added, sweat dripping from his whiskers after flying back to Saber Tooth at top speed under the unforgiving afternoon sun.

Rietta narrowed her eyes. "Did the word really travel that fast?"

"Don't avoid the subject!" Sting cried, his eyes wide with fear. "Just tell me the others are wrong! They said they saw you near the request board today!"

"Do you really want the truth?" Rietta drawled, receiving frantic nods as her answer. She looked at Sting in the eye as she told him bluntly, "Yes, I'm going on a mission."

"NO~!" Sting and Lector collapsed dramatically on the diner's side of the bar, waves of depression rolling off them. "My stomach...suddenly I'm starving..." Sting moaned.

"My fish...my fish is burnt..." Lector groaned as he lay face-down on the counter. He could already see how his fish would be served for the next few weeks.

Rogue rolled his eyes at his fellow Twin Dragon's behavior. "Wimps," he muttered, though strangely, a faint green tint could be seen to his skin.

"Fro's hungry," Frosch whimpered.

"Stop being melodramatic, boys!" Rietta barked as she lifted the horizontal panel that allowed her to leave the chef's side of the bar. "You're in Saber Tooth: surely you can handle one month of eating somebody else's cooking?"

"But...but you make it better, Rietta," Lector pointed out weakly as he lifted his face off the counter. "The other's don't taste the same as yours."

The navy-haired woman's eyes sparkled at the compliment. "Thank you, Lector. But flattery won't keep me in this guild."

"Y-you don't have to leave," Sting stammered, trying to block Rietta's path to the doors. The glower he received for daring to stop her made him want to run, but he managed to hold his ground. "I mean, don't you get a large enough salary just from working in the kitchen?"

Rietta's eyes narrowed dangerously, making Sting squeak in response. "In case you haven't noticed, Eucliffe, women aren't subservient to men anymore. If a man wants to live, he needs to know how to lead his own life without a woman doing everything for him!"

Sting gulped as the demonic chef towered over him ominously. Rufus nodded in agreement with Rietta's words while Rogue looked away and said, "It was nice knowing him." In Saber Tooth, Rietta was probably the most dangerous woman alive after Minerva. No, she was as terrifying as the master himself, and all she did when she was in the guild was cook for the others.

"Plus, I need to take a job before the old coot gets on my case," Rietta added, jabbing a thumb at the stairs.

"WHAT?!" All occupants of the ground floor jumped when they heard their master's voice—amplified to more than its normal volume—bellow from his office on the second floor.

"Don't tell me he heard that from up there," Rietta muttered, covering her eyes with her hand as the master came out of his office. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stood up as Jiemma came down the stairs. There were whispers and mutters as the members of Saber Tooth wondered what was going on, but all conversations ceased the second Jiemma's feet touched the floor.

No one moved as Jiemma's eyes scanned his guild. Just by looking at him, anyone could guess that something was wrong. The only question was: who was going to be excommunicated?

"So," Jiemma began, watching the facial expressions of his subordinates, "I received a call from the master of Lamia Scale." Some of the members sneered at the name while others remained composed. "She gave me very interesting information concerning one of her members. Now tell me: did anyone have contact with a Lamia Scale wizard?"

Everyone looked around the guild, eyes meeting before their owners quickly turned away. It was a ridiculous question: why would any of them have contact with a rival guild?

Master Jiemma's magic radiated off his body, causing some to step back a little from the sheer force. Impatient eyes looked upon the guild, warning the subordinates that he was serious. "Well? Do I need to beat it out of every one of you until I get an answer?" he growled. Even with that threat, no one seemed willing to answer.

Sting's head whirled when he caught movement from his periphery, coming from a young man with spiky light brown hair who looked around sixteen or seventeen. He recognized the teen...a little: Sting only knew that he was a new recruit from last year, but the name was difficult to remember.

The teen came to a stop just a few feet away from Jiemma, holding his ground firmly. Light brown eyes met the menacing eyes of the master, never yielding to the fear that many would feel.

"Aomori." The fingers of his right hand flexed while Jiemma scrutinized the teenager carefully before he spoke. "The warlord's grandson?"

"Yes, sir," the young man answered.

"So exactly what business did you have with scum like Lamia Scale, eh? Who was it that you ran into, boy?" If Sting didn't know any better, it looked like Jiemma was challenging Aomori or whatever his name was to answer.

"The one that I ran into," Aomori said, "the one that challenged me to a duel was the Anti-Mage."

The magical aura around Jiemma dissipated at once. The master eyed his new recruit carefully. "Did I hear you correctly? The _Anti-Mage_ challenged you?" Jiemma inquired.

Aomori nodded. "Yes, sir."

"I assume you won that little spat?"

A small sneer crossed the young man's face, though Sting couldn't tell just by looking at his eyes. A mask covered the lower half of Aomori's face, shielding it from view. "Yes, I did."

A small chuckle escaped from the guild master before Jiemma boomed with laughter, surprising many of his subordinates. It was rare for Jiemma to be amused by anything. "So it couldn't have been you, then," Jiemma murmured, turning away from his subordinates. "Unless there are others?"

Unable to keep his curiosity down, Rufus ventured a question. "Master, if I may ask why Lamia Scale's master called you?"

Jiemma wheeled around to look at his guild members again. "Apparently, one of our number attacked a Lamia Scale wizard and left a scar in the shape of our symbol as proof," he stated. All eyes traveled around, wondering who would do such a thing to another guild and what their motives were. "But none of you would ever lower your dignity to mark scum with our symbol. Trash doesn't need to be given the honor of wearing our mark." Many of his subordinates nodded in concordance with this. The master turned his head away from his members. "Dismissed," he barked before he journeyed back to his office.

All eyes watched the master's ascent to his office; their owners never relaxed while their master was still present. Only when Jiemma disappeared behind did they allow themselves to unwind.

"Who the heck is that guy?" Sting muttered while keeping an eye on Aomori, who proceeded to leave the guild with a flyer in his hand.

"You're not the only one in the dark, Eucliffe," Rietta added next to him, placing a hand on her hip. "Aomori's a bit of a dark horse."

"What's his last name?" the Light Dragon Slayer asked. When no one answered him, he turned to see nonplussed looks and Rufus face-palming himself. "What?"

"Aomori is his _surname,_" Rufus informed, rubbing his forehead. "His given name is one that no one seems to know."

"It may have something to do with him being a newbie," Rietta interjected. "Master addresses new recruits by their surnames. Only when they've proven their worth to him will he ever use their actual names. Which brings me to you, _Lore_," she added, stressing his surname when she turned her head in his direction.

Sting and Rogue took a large step back, recognizing the glint in her eyes. Rufus had no idea what he did to the woman as far as he could remember, but he sincerely hoped she wouldn't skin him alive. "What have I done?" he asked indignantly.

"Haven't you been training for the games? You do_ recall_ that the festival is a little less than two months away," Rietta reminded with a raised eyebrow.

Rufus narrowed his eyes in annoyance at Rietta's remark on his memory. "How could I ever forget, Rietta Devine?" he returned, using the chef's surname just as she usually did with him.

"So are you training at all?"

"I have been."

"So are you doing anything tomorrow?"

Rufus tapped a finger to his temple. "I have nothing scheduled, as I recall."

Rietta dug a hand into one of her jacket pockets. "Then you wouldn't mind if I asked you to do something, correct?"

Before Rufus could say another word, Rietta withdrew her hand from her pocket and hurled something towards him. The Memory-Make wizard held up a finger: the object—revealed to be an envelope—stopped in its flight. Using the same finger, he motioned for the envelope to come closer and it floated over to him.

"So you have trained," Rietta commented, watching the blond wizard open the envelope to disclose its contents. "Telekinesis is a skill you've never shown prowess in until now."

"It's a basic magic that's easy to learn and utilize," Rufus said, pulling out from the envelope a ticket to Crocus. A wave of nostalgia washed over him when he read the ticket's destination.

"Ahem?" Rietta jabbed a thumb towards herself, a displeased expression on her face. "Two telekinetics in this guild, if you recall?"

"What business do you need me to conduct in Crocus?" he asked. He didn't mind going to Crocus: it was the city where he was born, after all. The masked wizard only visited Crocus on a few occasions: for the games and for his parents' memorial. Sure, the lively atmosphere of the royal city was annoying. But no matter how many times he went to visit, he would always feel homesick when he returned to Saber Tooth.

"We need the official paperwork for the games," Rietta stated. "It's not a free-for-all: we can't just go in without obeying the rules. I assume you can handle this task?"

Tracing a finger over the ticket that would take him to his former home just for tomorrow, he smiled slyly. "Consider it done."

* * *

><p>A girl with nine ponytails bundled together by a sturdy ribbon sat on the pink shore, holding a fishing rod with its line cast into the water. She was waiting for someone, or something. But whoever it was seemed to be taking its time.<p>

"Did I keep you waiting for too long?" a boy's voice asked from behind. The blond girl with nine ponytails turned her head to see Platin standing there, keeping a hand on his signature blue cap.

The girl relaxed at the sight of the schoolboy. "It's just you, right?" she asked. "Arriette's not—"

"I managed to lock her in her room. She won't be able to get out until morning," Platin informed, sitting down next to the girl.

The girl smiled sadly. "That's never stopped her before, has it?"

Platin laughed lightly as he scratched the back of his head. "Well, she has complained that the sudden blood loss made her lose her balance. I don't think she'll want to come out to dance anytime soon."

"...She's always like that." The nine-tailed girl tugged sharply on the line and met some resistance, igniting a small flare of hope within her as she reeled in the line. But the gleeful feeling didn't reach her expression, which remained forlorn. "She takes the spotlight no matter what it'll do to me, but she'll hide in her room once I'm injured so she doesn't have to hear you scold her for being reckless."

"Hey." Platin flicked her forehead, which pushed her back a little. The girl looked at Platin, shocked to see a disappointed expression on his face. "You do realize what you're saying about yourself whenever you say stuff like that, don't you?" he warned. "What _you_ are, what _we_ are—"

"Except I'm not!" The girl cried, whipping her head so quickly that her nine ponytails almost slapped Platin in the face. "I'm not like any of you! I'm not brave; I'm not daring; and I'm not smart! If I were, none of you would be here and I wouldn't be stuck like this!" The girl bowed her head, allowing her blonde bangs to cover her eyes while her shoulders shook. "Just...just go away, Platin," she whispered. "I'll be gone any day now. The last thing I need is pity."

She heard Platin stand up; she could practically feel his disgust and disappointment. She waited for him to walk away; what she did not expect was for him to grab her by her arm and lead her away from the lake. The girl clawed at Platin's hand, trying to loosen his grip on her, but it never budged. So she had no option but to follow him unwillingly, oblivious to his intentions. The girl tried to look at Platin, but the blue-capped blond boy wouldn't spare her a glance. For some reason, it aroused a feeling of nostalgia within her. Somehow, she knew she experienced this before.

Platin finally came to a halt, jerking the girl forward before releasing her. The girl opened her mouth to object to Platin's treatment of her but the words were lost when she took in the scene before her. She had no idea what it was, but it resembled a junkyard. Piles of debris towered over the blonds, engulfing them in their shadows. The girl could see shards, fragments, even chunks of what must have been her—

"Do you see now?" Platin asked. He motioned to the piles of junk around them. "Did you think that little lake was the only place that was damaged? No: every time we take over for you, the process of deterioration only speeds up. And faster because you won't lift a finger to help. So we try to do it for you, but the only person who is capable of repairing everything is in his room because you carefully avoid anything that brings attention to him."

"But I—"

"The three of us may be unhealthy for you," Platin continued as though the girl never said a word, "but that doesn't stop Julian from trying to help in any way he can. You know it's true: he's the one who could keep you here and restore everything to the way it was."

Platin grabbed the girl's hand again; this time, she didn't try to resist. The boy led her over to a corridor with two doors on either side. The girl tried her best not to look at the door marked by a painted pair of ballet slippers; the same applied to another door with a question mark painted upon it. Letting go of her hand, Platin motioned to the door marked by a pair of glasses painted on its surface. "It's time to call Julian back. When you're ready, feel free to knock on his door."

The girl stared at the door hesitantly, making Platin shake his head at her action. "I know you're hesitant, but let me ask you this: has Julian ever done anything that put you in danger?"

Platin went over to a door with a blue cap painted on it, which must have been his room. Once he went inside and shut the door, he left the nine-tailed girl outside as she contemplated what she would do.

Just around the corner, a light brown-haired boy chuckled as quietly as he could so he wouldn't be detected.

**Sorry for the late update, but I have finals coming up. And with those tests, it's harder to find inspiration to write.**

**Yes, Rufus uses Telekinesis in this story. Even though the manga didn't show him using it, the anime did.**


	15. Grandmother Knows Best

**YES! School's finally over!**

**Now I have more time to type and think of ideas for my stories! I'm still having trouble with the battle for Hestia in Anathema, but I know what I want to come after that. But still, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!**

**X790, May 4, 8:58 AM**

**Lamia Scale**

_Come on, wake up, _a gentle, calming voice said.

"..."

_Notre petite amie, ouvre les yeux! _This time, a sharp accented voice rang through his mind.

Morning sunlight poured in through the windows, bathing everything with a warm radiance. In Platin's case, beams of light passed through glass beams and hit him directly in the eyes, waking him from his pressure point-induced slumber.

The blond boy blinked his eyes as he covered half of his face with his left arm. But he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was missing. Platin knew that he couldn't have lost anything yesterday, not when his guild mates watched over him. The last thing he remembered was collapsing in the infirmary where he was now—

Platin gasped as he sat up, keeping a hand on his blue cap so that it wouldn't fall off. He examined his left arm carefully to make sure that what he saw was correct. The fanged tiger scar from yesterday was gone, not so much a blemish in the place where it used to be. Eusine had kept his word.

The blond boy's eyes scoured the infirmary for his former employer but found him nowhere near. _He must have left already_, Platin thought.

Deciding that he would thank him properly when he saw the dark green-haired man again, Platin took this opportunity to fix his appearance by using a mirror in the room. After he rolled down his left sleeve, he smoothed down his vest and searched for his blue blazer, which hung on a coat rack not too far away. Noting how messy his hat looked on his head, Platin turned away from the mirror as he adjusted his hat. He yanked it down sharply, making sure that it wouldn't slip off easily.

Platin turned to face the mirror again. Nodding to his reflection, he slung his satchel over his right shoulder so that it rested near his left hip and made his way towards the door.

* * *

><p>"How dare he!" Ooba spun furiously while she continued, "How dare that old coot deny what he saw with his own eyes! We showed him the evidence and he denies that his guild did the deed!"<p>

"Oon~Maybe they lied!" Toby suggested.

"You be quiet, Toby!" With a spin of her finger, Toby's body spun against his will. Ooba held her chin thoughtfully while she continued to spin him. "Yes, that's always a possibility. After all, a scuffle between two guilds is always ugly, especially if the Magic Council catches wind of it."

With renewed vigor, Ooba spun wildly around her guild. "If that's how you want to play it, you old coot, then so be it!" she yelled. "We'll settle this with the most legal method: the Grand Magic Games! Get ready, Saber Tooth! When we win, I'll make your guild bow for forgiveness!" Toby stopped spinning when Ooba dispelled the effects of her magic on him. The dog-like man stumbled around in a daze, his eyes replaced by swirls. It took him everything he had to not release his breakfast on the floor. "Get ready, everyone! I want all of you to be able to hold your own against a saber by the time the games start!"

"Well, thanks for your help, Eusine," Yuka said to the doctor who sat next to him at the bar area, ignoring his guild master's rant. Ooba managed to convince him to have breakfast before he left.

Eusine nodded as he pushed his glasses up. "I'm glad to have been of some use. Though I apologize for not being able to help you pin down Platin's attacker."

"It's not a problem. Because of you, we know who to look out for in this year's games." Yuka stared at his palm as he flexed his hand. "Less than two months left...we'll be ready for them," Yuka murmured, clenching his hand into a fist.

"Hey, Eusine." The man in question spun on his chair to face Sherry. "You mentioned yesterday that you were in a guild before, didn't you?"

"I did," he confirmed. Yuka noticed a strange glint in the man's eyes that didn't seem pleased with Sherry's query. It almost looked like the doctor was challenging her to continue.

"I was wondering what guild you were part of," Sherry said, oblivious to the look in his eyes. "I know it sounds abrupt but if you don't mind—"

"Actually, I _do_ mind." Eusine shot out of his seat so quickly, his chair fell to the ground. All eyes zeroed in on the green-haired man, who shouldered his satchel. The same flare of emotion that was present yesterday returned to his eyes, igniting a glare aimed at the Doll Attack mage.

"Hey!" Yuka came between the two, ready to prevent a one-sided fight if the situation called for it. "She just asked a question," the Wave defended. "There's no need to get so worked up over it."

Eusine's eyes darted back and forth between Yuka and Sherry, narrowed in distrust. After what seemed like an eternity, Eusine relaxed. His shoulders dropped while his breathing slowed, eyes losing their harsh depth. "You're right," he conceded, sitting back down. "I'm sorry for my outburst, but...I don't like to talk about my old guild now."

"W-were they that horrible?" When she received a nod in response, Sherry began to apologize profusely. "I-I'm really sorry! It was my fault for bringing it up when I shouldn't have—!"

Eusine chuckled softly while he regarded Sherry with a kinder look in his eyes. "That's something my old guild didn't have, among other things." The dark green-haired doctor pushed some of his hair out of his eyes, which now held sadness. "I came back from a mission one day...devoid of my memories. Because of something that I couldn't control, I was cast out and forsaken, left with my own skills to survive."

"...Do you miss it?" Yuka asked quietly.

"Pardon?"

"Being in a guild, having comrades to count on—do you miss it?"

Eusine smiled forlornly. "I would be lying if I said the opposite...but I can't deny that my medical skills give me a higher pay than what I earned as a guild wizard," he added, gesturing to his bag.

Yuka laughed. "Hey, I can't argue with that. You aren't going to charge us for the last few weeks, are you?" the Wave added abruptly.

Eusine chuckled, his eyes holding amusement. "Well, now that you mention it, I—"

"I got it!" Sherry cried, interrupting the men's friendly banter. "Why don't you join us, Eusine?"

"What?" Yuka exclaimed, a cry that many of his guild echoed.

"Are you serious?!" Toby yelled at Sherry.

"You said it yourself: you miss being in a guild. And plus, not many wizards know medicine like you do. You'd have an advantage that no one else would have!" Sherry insisted, her eyes sparkling.

"Whoa, time out!" Eusine called, forming a 'T' with his hands to assist him. "I have magic, yes, but as far as combat goes, I wouldn't even last unless I had time on my side!"

"No sweat, we'll teach you close combat!" Lyon piped in.

"Where did you come from?" Both Yuka and Toby exclaimed.

"I—" Before Eusine could answer, the door to the guild infirmary opened. The blond Sleeper of Lamia Scale came out, scanning his surroundings when his eyes landed on Eusine. "Good morning!" he called to the schoolboy.

"Eusine!" Platin rushed over, nearly tripping over his feet until he came to a stop before the doctor and his guild mates.

"Is there something you wanted to say?" Eusine asked, knowing what the answer would be.

Platin bowed. "Thank you for watching over my health these past few weeks!"

"Uh...Platin? Why are you bowing to me?" Confused, Platin looked up to see that the person he just bowed to was not Eusine, but Yuka.

"E-eh?" Platin rubbed his eyes, something that made Eusine narrow his eyes in suspicion. "Wh-what happened? I thought Eusine was standing there—"

"Kid, you must still be asleep," Lyon said, rapping the boy's cap with his knuckles. Platin glared up at Lyon as he readjusted his hat.

"Oon~! Maybe he's still dreaming!" Toby snickered.

"Take that back, Toby!" Platin yelled at the dog-like man.

"Wait a minute." Eusine rose from his chair again and approached Platin. The doctor turned the boy's head towards him and bent down to eye level with him. After a minute or so, he removed his hand from Platin's head and held up a number of fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?" he asked.

"What are you doing?" Yuka questioned, only to receive a sideways glance that told him to stay silent.

"Three," Platin answered simply, to which Eusine nodded.

The dark green-haired man pointed to a clock on the wall, on the other side of the guild. "What time is it?"

Platin followed where his hand pointed, squinting to see the time displayed on the clock. But at this distance it was hard to tell what time it was exactly. "...It's somewhere around nine," the boy finally responded.

"Can you tell me how many minutes past nine?" Eusine asked.

Platin narrowed his eyes again, which only seemed to reinforce Eusine's suspicions. "...I think it's ten?" the Sleeper guessed.

Eusine shook his head. "It's nine-twelve," he corrected.

"Ah...it was?" Platin said with a deflated tone.

"What's this about?" Lyon asked.

The dark green-haired doctor ignored the ice wizard's query and stepped aside to give Platin a view of the doors to the guild. "One more test, okay?"

"...All right," the boy agreed, adding a nod to reinforce his answer.

Eusine gestured to the double doors. "On either side of the doors, how many people are there combined?"

"Either side...you mean left and right?" Platin asked, blinking repeatedly at the area Eusine indicated.

"Can't you tell for yourself?!" Toby yelled, which made Platin cover his ears.

"Quiet!" Eusine barked, which made the dog-like man flinch. The doctor/librarian turned his attention back to the boy. "So combined?" he prompted.

"..." Platin squinted in concentration as he counted the number of people near the doors. "...Six," he decided.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Eusine shook his head. "Seven," he revised. The resident wizards of Lamia Scale around Platin nodded in agreement: there were seven people near the doors. "I knew it." The doctor/librarian set a hand on Platin's head as he bent down to eye level with the boy again. "You're nearsighted," he concluded.

"He is?" Sherry asked.

Eusine nodded as he got back up to his regular height. "It's not unusual," he explained to the resident wizards, including the youngest of them all. "Since you're young, it's easier to correct with glasses," he added to Platin.

"G-glasses?" Platin squeaked, as though the thought of the ocular device terrified him.

"It's not life-changing," the doctor/librarian continued. "Well...maybe it is, in its own way. You would have to depend on them for long-distance vision."

"But...glass lenses are pretty expensive," Lyon argued. "And to get the correct prescription isn't a joke either."

"Don't mistake me for a cheap old lady, Lyon!" Ooba shouted at her ice wizard, spinning over to the group to join the conversation. "Whatever it takes to correct Platin's eyesight, I'll fund it!"

"Wait, Obaba, you don't have to do that!" Platin exclaimed, waving his hands frantically in protest while he backed away. "I-I'm fine on my own, okay? I don't need glasses—!"

"Nonsense!" Ooba chided, pointing an accusatory finger at her youngest subordinate. "The doctor said it, so you're getting glasses, and that's final!"

"But Oba—wah!" Platin failed to see where he was going when he backed away, which resulted in him falling backwards off the short set of steps up to the bar area. His body collided with the hard ground and the contents of his bag spilled on the floor.

"Careful!" Yuka ignored the steps—there were only two steps, anyway—and jumped down to help Platin. "You really need to watch where you're going, kid."

"I...right," Platin mumbled as he hurriedly stuffed the spilled items back into his satchel.

Yuka noticed a small, oval-shaped container next to his foot while Platin put a first aid kit in his bag. "What's that?" he wondered, scooping up the container to inspect it. The Sleeper's head shot up, eyes wide with shock when he saw the item in the Wave's hands.

"Wait, Yuka, you really don't need to see that!" Platin exclaimed as he stood up, trying to reach for the container.

"I just want to see what it is!"

"It's nothing!"

"Fat chance, Platin! If it were, it wouldn't be here, would it?" Yuka opened the container, which did so like a jewelry box. The Wave stared at the contents before turning to Platin with a smug expression. "So that's why you didn't want Obaba to get you glasses." He removed the item in the container: a pair of glasses. "You had your own pair this whole time."

"I-I—"

"What are you waiting for, boy? Put them on!" Ooba commanded, pointing at the glasses in Yuka's grasp.

"But Obaba—I don't want to!" Platin cried.

"And why not?" the old lady demanded.

"I—well, whenever I wear my glasses, I'm a completely different person!" the Sleeper countered.

Lyon snorted. "Kid, you're not a different person just by wearing glasses. You just look different. Now quit being a baby and put the glasses on already."

"But—!" Platin's glasses floated out of Yuka's grasp before they forced themselves over his eyes, guided by Ooba's magic. The blond boy blinked, staring blankly at nothing in particular while his fellow wizards inspected his outward appearance.

"Wow, Platin. Maybe you were right: you do look like another person," Yuka admitted.

"Very scholarly," Sherry added.

"Not to mention sharp as well," Eusine agreed.

"There's no difference at all!" Toby protested.

"Is that so?" Platin pushed up his glasses and brushed some of his bangs out of the way. "Well, thank you for your opinions."

"How is your vision now?" Eusine asked.

Platin used his left hand to gesture to himself. "The world looks much clearer with my glasses on," he said with a smile. "I'm not sure how I managed without them for so long."

Sherry sweated before laughing nervously. "Okay, who's the little gentleman and what has he done with Platin?"

The Sleeper tilted his head. "Oh? Am I not supposed to be composed and well-mannered?" he questioned curiously.

"And he's got the vocabulary to match," Lyon interjected.

"Aren't you getting too into character?" Toby barked at the blond boy, who flinched at the man's harsh tone.

"Yuka." Ooba spun towards the Wave, who pulled his attention away from the Sleeper to focus on his master.

"Yeah, Obaba?"

"The Grand Magic Games are a little less than two months away," Ooba reminded with a serious tone. "I hope you've trained?"

"Er..." Yuka nervously rubbed the space between his abnormally large eyebrows. "About that, Obaba..."

"Don't tell me...you haven't even trained at all?" Ooba growled, towering over the panicking Anti-Mage.

"I-It's not that I didn't want to, Obaba. Th-there's just been a lot going on lately," Yuka defended. "With Platin joining the guild and getting injured, it just slipped my mind."

Ooba scrutinized the Wave for several seconds before she finally turned away. Yuka relaxed as soon as Ooba turned her back on him. "I suppose it's acceptable," she grumbled. "But!" The guild master of Lamia Scale spun around again, her eyes blazing. "No longer! Starting tomorrow, all of you will begin training for the games! No exceptions!"

"I would have thought you'd want us to start immediately, Obaba," Lyon remarked as he held his chin.

"We still have to get the paperwork filled out, Lyon!" Ooba yelled at her ice wizard. "Without the proper procedure, we won't even qualify for the preliminaries!"

"So when do we get the papers, Obaba?" Yuka asked tentatively, rubbing his ears after listening to his master's rant.

Ooba's eye twitched, which made the wizards around her step away in response. "The paperwork is open to all guilds starting today. But we need to travel all the way to the royal city to get it!" The old lady pointed a finger at the Wave. "Yuka, you're going to go get them for me!"

"What? Why me?" Yuka demanded.

The old lady towered over the Anti-Mage, making him sweat nervously and cower in her shadow. "Is that a complaint I hear?"

"N-no, Obaba!" Yuka squeaked. "O-of course I'll get them! What was I thinking?"

"Master Ooba, may I go to Crocus with Yuka?" Platin asked politely.

"Eh?" Nearly everyone gaped at the blond boy, including the Wave and the master of Lamia Scale.

"You don't need to come with me, kid!" Yuka protested. "Come to think of it, why _do_ you want to go to Crocus?"

Platin held up a hand before he opened his bag and withdrew a book. "I borrowed a book from the library at Crocus. I only need to return it."

"You can just give that book to Yuka and he'll return it for you," Lyon said. "Unless...unless you also want to pick out a book there, too?" he added with mock suspicion.

Platin didn't waver, but one could see a light pink tint to his cheeks. "Was it really that overt?" Platin asked.

Lyon rapped the boy's head again with his knuckles. "Kid, when you look like that, it's way too obvious."

"...Please don't touch my hat," the boy requested as he removed Lyon's hand from his cap.

"Or what?"

"No, really, Lyon. You do _not_ want to touch his hat," Yuka cut in, giving the ice wizard a look of warning.

"Oon~! It's true!" Toby added as he nodded his head frantically. He sweated in fear, remembering both incidents where he tried to touch the schoolboy's hat.

A vein throbbed against Ooba's temple during the length of the conversation before she finally exploded. "Enough already!" she screamed, making everyone in the vicinity jolt in alarm. "Yuka, just take Platin with you to Crocus and don't leave him on his own!"

"Y-yes, Obaba!" Yuka stammered. The Wave grabbed Platin's hand and rushed out of Lamia Scale with him.

"Ah!" Eusine exclaimed, hitting his palm with his fist. "I almost forgot I needed to be someplace else!"

"Is that—" The wizards of Lamia Scale witnessed the doctor/librarian sprint out of the guild, making many people sweat. "So?" Sherry finished weakly.

* * *

><p>Yuka and Platin jumped onto the train leaving for Crocus just before it pulled out of the platform. Both wizards breathed unevenly, since they ran at top speed to make it in time.<p>

"It looks like every compartment is occupied," Platin murmured as they traveled through train cars in search of their own compartment.

"There has to be an empty one somewhere," Yuka insisted. He spotted what looked to be an empty compartment and ran towards it. But when he saw the inside, he immediately said, "Not that one. Let's go somewhere else."

"What—oh!" Yuka dragged Platin along with him, but not before the boy caught sight of a blond man with a mask on his face. The blond boy's gaze lingered on the masked man for a while before he turned back to Yuka. "Who was he?" Platin asked.

"That," Yuka began as he continued to search for an empty compartment, "is someone who is part of a guild you want to avoid."

"I see."

Yuka continued to search for a free compartment, beginning to think that this task was in vain and that they would have to share with some random passengers. The Wave knew that he didn't want to go back and ask the Memory-Make wizard of Saber Tooth to share a compartment, but everywhere else was full! Then he spotted dark green hair and a doctor's coat in a nearby compartment.

"Wait...don't tell me..." Yuka ran over to the compartment in question to see if his suspicions about the occupant were true. "So it was you!" Yuka exclaimed, happy to see one familiar face on the train.

The doctor/librarian looked up from the book he held in his hands. "Nice to see you, too!" Eusine greeted.

"Yuka, who is it?" Platin peeked into the compartment, smiling when his eyes fell upon his former employer. "Hello, Eusine," Platin said with a smile. "What a coincidence to meet you here."

Eusine laughed as he scratched the back of his head. "Funny story, really. I just happen to have business in Crocus, too. It's not guild-related, though."

Yuka shrugged it off. "As long as we're headed in the same direction. Say, you wouldn't mind if we asked you something, would you?"

"Go ahead."

"You don't mind sharing a compartment, do you?"

* * *

><p><strong>~Dream~<strong>

_By now, Rufus had gotten used to these dreams. But he never adjusted to how they always altered a history he remembered to make room for a little girl he knew didn't belong there._

_His younger counterpart stood next to his mother, who stood before the little blonde girl who invaded his memories. The girl nervously played with her hands while his mother used a cloth to wipe something. His mother kept a neutral face, but one could see worry plainly displayed in her eyes. "It's nothing to be worried about—" His mother mouthed something inaudible, but Rufus assumed that it was the girl's name. He knew his mother mouthed two syllables, but the actual name remained a mystery even to him. "We just need to be more careful with your eyes from now on."_

_The girl looked up at Rufus' mother shyly with her dark green eyes; green eyes that matched Rufus' except for the eye shape. "Okay."_

_His mother smiled kindly as she set the cloth aside, revealing a pair of glasses in her hands. "Now, let's how you look with your new glasses, shall we?" She placed the glasses on the girl's face carefully, stepping back to observe the result. "Charming, don't you think so, Rufus?" she asked her son, receiving a nod of response._

_The girl smiled and her glasses fell slightly. Her face fell as she pushed her glasses back up, only for them to fall again. "They're big," she mumbled softly._

_His mother frowned as she removed the glasses from the child's face and inspected them. "Yes...they're at least two centimeters off." Mrs. Lore knelt and patted the girl's head. "We'll just have to wait for you to grow into them."_

* * *

><p><strong>10:02 AM<strong>

Rufus blinked as sunlight poured in through the window, waking him from his slumber. Unable to resist, he yawned widely, covering his mouth as he did.

He remembered taking what was meant to be a short nap while the train took its time to reach Crocus. Rufus knew what taking that nap meant, but he took the chance anyway.

"You don't frequent my memories," Rufus murmured as the train slowed down, indicating that it was almost at its destination, "but I can find you in my dreams. Who are you?"

* * *

><p>When he stepped off the train, Platin inhaled deeply before exhaling with a sigh.<p>

"Eesh, someone would think you've never been here before, Platin," Yuka remarked as he came down on the platform.

The blond smiled as he pushed up his glasses. "I'm not truly familiar with the royal city. I only visit Crocus for the Royal Library."

"With good reason." Eusine followed after them, dusting off his doctor's jacket. "The Royal Library is the largest in Fiore and it was once the private library of monarchs in the past," he explained.

"You seem to know a lot about it," the Wave noted.

The doctor/librarian laughed lightheartedly as he rubbed the back of his head. "I guess you could say I did my homework."

Yuka snickered quietly at the other man's little joke. Remembering that he had a job to do, he stifled his laughter and met Eusine's eyes. "I guess this is where we all go off on our own, huh?" he asked, switching to a more serious tone.

"It's only for now," Eusine admitted, losing his humorous side. "We all have our own separate tasks to fulfill. I will, however, say truthfully that I look forward to the time our paths converge again." _And for some of us, it might be soon_, he thought as he looked at Platin.

"When you say it like that, one would think that we might never meet again," Platin said.

Eusine tilted his head thoughtfully. "Let's hope that my prediction doesn't come true, then," he joked.

They all laughed before they decided to part ways. Eusine would be visiting a hospital while the Lamia Scale wizards would be going to the library for the official paperwork for the Grand Magic Games. "Okay, Platin, which direction is it?" he asked when they came to an intersection.

Platin read the names of the streets first before he decided to turn in the eastern direction. "This way."

* * *

><p>Rufus knew he should have hurried to the library, but part of him wanted to take its time. He wanted to enjoy the moment in his hometown before he decided to return to the guild. <em>There's also an hour before the next train home arrives<em>, he thought. With that in mind, he continued his walk at a pace he enjoyed.

The Memory-Make wizard came to a stop when he arrived a familiar street lined with tree peonies. If he remembered correctly, then he had just arrived at Peony Lane. Which meant his home...

He looked up at an apartment complex, remembering how he lived in one of the units with his parents as a child. The building remained the same after five years, but what would the inside be like? Most likely, his former home would be occupied by new tenants, and the interior would be foreign to him.

While he was lost in his memories, an old lady walked past him slowly with her cane. She stopped in her tracks, looking back at the young man who continued to stare at his former home. "Rufus?" she called, turning around to approach him. "Rufus Lore?"

Realizing that someone was calling his name, Rufus spun in the direction of the old woman, who came to a stop when she was just a foot away. "Are you the same Rufus Lore who lived here as a child?" she asked as if unsure of herself.

"I am," he confirmed, trying to see if he had any memories of this grandmother-figure who clearly remembered him.

The old lady smiled before she laughed lightly. "I knew it, I knew it!" she exclaimed. "You have the same eyes as your father. The same eyes he inherited from your grandmother, Madame Lore."

"...I'm sorry, madam," Rufus apologized, slightly embarrassed that he couldn't pinpoint this woman's place in his memories, though he had the strange suspicion that she was a baker. "Your name keeps slipping away from me. Who are you?"

The old lady shook her head, which made Rufus think that she was disappointed in him for forgetting her. "I don't blame you for not remembering," she said. "It's quite easy to take someone as old as me for granted. However, do you recall coming to a bakery on this street?"

So his suspicions weren't so off, after all. He did remember going to a bakery everyday for bread to eat at supper or for a few snacks when he was hungry. The bakery was owned by a couple, so that meant— "You were the baker's wife," he immediately answered.

The old lady nodded with a smile on her face. "You used to come by so often, my husband and I knew exactly what you would get before you asked for it." She chuckled to herself at the memory. "And every time, your adorable little sister held your hand!"

**Author's Note:**

**Dun dun dun! Cliffhanger!**

**I've been sitting on this chapter for a while, but I didn't know how to put it into words. I might have had it done sooner, but then I got sick and threw up yesterday. (Thankfully not on my laptop)**

**The names of any location that appeared in this chapter that were not mentioned in the canon Fairy Tail are mine. I just happened to come up with them.**


	16. Memory Lane

**I'm extremely sorry to all of you!**

**I've had this chapter ready for a while but I didn't post it because of a severe writer's block that made me think about my current writing style. I don't know how it happens: some chapters just come to me, but others make me sit around while I wonder how to write it! It's frustrating! **

**I'm hoping that the next chapters I type up will be easier for me to plan.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>X790, May 4, 10:15 AM<strong>

Rufus' eyes widened while the elderly lady rambled, going on about how he—in the past—would rarely be seen without his younger sibling. She had no idea what kind of effect her words had on him.

_"'Dreams…are a heart's way of saying…you've forgotten something. Tell me…what have you forgotten?'"_

The words of the boy he met on the train in March echoed in his mind. Words that he took for granted and labelled as silly thoughts held wisdom that Rufus underestimated.

The Memory-Make wizard closed his eyes while he held his forehead. Every dream that he had since March played in his memories, allowing him to take in details of the little girl who appeared in them. Yes, he could call himself stupid for not noticing her features earlier. Rufus could argue that blond hair was common, if only that hair color wasn't recessive. Compared to brown eyes and anything darker, green was a scarce shade along with blue. The masked man could name several people in Saber Tooth who possessed dark eyes. Then there was Rogue, who possessed red eyes.

_So all of those dreams,_ he thought to himself, _were actually memories? That child was my younger sister?_ Rufus shook his head mentally. _No. If she were my sister, I would remember her clearly._

That single thought struck him as odd: if that girl in his memories _was_ his younger sister, he _would_ remember her clearly. He would know every detail about her, not little snippets. And her name—

"How is she, by the way?" the old lady asked.

"Hm?" Momentarily confused, Rufus realized that the baker's wife was asking about her.

The little girl in his dreams.

His younger sister.

He didn't know how to answer to that question. As far as he could remember, he didn't even know he had a younger sibling until now. But Rufus didn't want to leave her question unanswered. The old woman waited patiently for the young man to respond.

Bracing himself to lie to the elderly woman, he replied, "She's fine."

The old lady peered at him curiously, as if she could sense something amiss. "Is she in school now?"

"Yes," Rufus lied without batting an eye, though he had no idea what his supposed younger sister was doing.

A strong gust blew past them, which made the old lady pull her shawl closer. Even Rufus kept a hand on his hat to keep it from being blown away by the wind.

"It's getting rather chilly. Would you mind if we continued this conversation indoors?" the baker asked.

"…No," Rufus said with a small smile. "I don't mind at all."

Mirroring his smile with her own, the old lady turned her back on Rufus and made her way to the bakery two buildings away from the apartment complex where he once lived.

Unbeknownst to them, a blond man with sunglasses on his head had hidden himself behind a large peony tree. He lifted his head over the bush-like tree, watching the two enter the bakery. Once they were inside, the man quickly pulled out his notepad and scribbled his findings. "Rufus of Saber Tooth lived in Crocus? Rufus has a little sister? Cool! Cool! COOL!" he screamed as quietly as he could while he punched the air with his fists excitedly.

* * *

><p>A bell rang as Rufus and the baker's wife entered the bakery. The Memory-Make wizard couldn't help but inhale deeply, taking in the aroma of the various baked goods. <em>How long has it been?<em> he wondered.

As if she heard his thoughts, the old lady answered, "Almost five years have passed since you last stepped through that door."

"Has it really been that long?" Rufus asked quietly, remembering the day in question. Nearly five years ago, he had to leave Crocus to live with his grandmother. Before they left, he remembered asking Madame Lore to stop by the bakery one last time.

The elderly baker nodded in confirmation. "I can still remember it like it was yesterday," she said, her voice heavy with sadness. "Your parents were great magical researchers," she added. "The exact details escape me, but I only know that whatever it was that the researchers worked on went awry, and it devastated the entire building where they worked."

"Yes…it did," he whispered. Rufus took off his hat, slowly putting it close to his heart.

The old lady regarded him closely in concern. "…I'm sorry for bringing up such terrible memories for you," she apologized. "As a young teenager, it must have been so sudden. In one moment, you lost your parents. I don't want to make your pain seem inferior, but your younger sister must have been traumatized by it. After all, both of you were waiting for your parents outside the building where they worked. It's something no child ever should have seen."

With his free hand, Rufus held his face as the memory drifted to the surface of his mind. This time, the girl from his dreams accompanied the memory of his younger self. But…was it really his memory, or did the mention of her somehow add the girl into them?

* * *

><p><strong>~Flashback~<strong>

**X785, October 10, 5:50 PM**

**Crocus**

"Wait! Slow down!" Rufus cried as he chased after the little blonde girl up ahead.

The unnamed child stopped in her tracks, dark green eyes watching Rufus catch up to her. "You can't run off like that—" He mouthed two syllables, but whatever he said remained unknown. "What if you get lost?"

His younger sister tilted her head to the side. "But I won't."

Rufus shook his head tiredly, panting due to the speed he ran at to catch up to the energetic little girl. "But you did," he pointed out. "You got lost once, remember? If that man from Fairy Tail hadn't found you—"

"I know that!" The girl cried, dark green eyes practically pleading with her older brother. "But that was one time! I won't get lost anymore, okay?"

The older boy shrugged his shoulders as he shook his head. No matter how many times she used those eyes—she didn't use it very frequently, now that he thought about it—they always rendered him helpless. "Just be careful," he warned as he reached for her hand, holding it tightly in his own. "If you run too fast, you'll skin your knees again."

"Okay." Rufus knew she wouldn't hold to his warning for long, but it would have reassured him to know if she would. The girl was like a little bird that just learned how to fly. He couldn't help but worry about her whenever she ran off on her own.

The siblings walked together along the checker-tiled street, passing by several flower boxes with buds that were about to bloom. Unfamiliar buildings lined the street, making the girl slightly uneasy. "This...This isn't home," she mumbled. The girl coughed as a faint smog invaded her lungs. They were in one of the busier parts of Crocus that weren't as quiet as their home on Peony Lane.

"You're right," Rufus agreed as he searched the streets for a particular building. He found it with ease: a three-story building with numerous windows on every level. "You've never been here before, have you?" he asked though he knew the answer to his own question. The girl shook her head, reinforcing his thoughts.

Rufus gestured to the building across from them. Dark letters on the building read Institute of Dimensional Magic. "That's where Mother and Father work," he explained to the girl.

"They do?" The girl squinted at the building, which didn't go unnoticed by her older brother.

"Where are your glasses?" Rufus asked abruptly, taking notice of what wasn't on her at the moment.

"Um..." The girl nervously looked at her feet to avoid her brother's gaze. "I—"

"You left them at home again, didn't you?" the blond boy finished for her.

"Yes," she said.

Rufus sighed as if in disbelief, but in truth he expected this. "I know you don't like wearing your glasses, but you need them to see. If you don't wear them, your eyes will only get worse."

"But...they're big, and they always fall off when I wear them," the girl defended as she raised her head to look at Rufus in the eye.

"Mother said you would grow into them later on." A hand rested on her head as Rufus bent down to her level. "So you still have to wear your glasses, okay?"

"...All right," the girl conceded.

Rufus stood back up with a smile on his face, but it quickly morphed into a frown as he glanced between a clock outside a nearby shop and the institute their parents worked. "That's weird. They should be out by now," he murmured.

"What do Papa and Mama do?" his younger sister asked curiously.

"They develop magic for people to use," Rufus responded as he leaned back and forth on his feet.

"What kind of magic?"

"Who knows? They said that the magic they create involves travelling—something about going from one place to another when you need to be somewhere important. Mother said that they were working on something that could really change the world." Rufus looked at the sky, watching the clouds pass by as the sun began to set. "But I think Grandmother's magic is better than all that."

His sister began to cough, which drew his attention away from the sky. "What's wrong?" he asked, patting her back as she continued to cough.

"S-smoke," she choked out, covering her mouth with her arm. "I smell smoke."

"Smoke?" Rufus sniffed the air carefully—and gagged on it. Now that she mentioned it, it smelled like burning wood combined with noxious fumes. But where was the stench coming from?

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, a building across the street exploded. Windows shattered, allowing smoke to escape. The siblings' attention turned to the building in question, now engulfed in flames. The sight of the burning structure was traumatizing enough, but it wasn't just any building that exploded: it was the institute where their parents worked.

While the rest of the world around them called for help or tried to escape the range of the inferno, Rufus stood there numbly as he watched the flames devastate the magical institute. His parents were in there, possibly burning to death. He considered the possibility of going in there to find them, but he knew that if he did, he would meet the same end. "But...Mother and Father have magic...they'll come out safely...won't they?" he murmured weakly.

A terrified cry next to him convinced him to draw his eyes away from the fire. His younger sister stood by his side, shrinking in fear as she buried her head in her hands.

Instinctively, Rufus pulled his sister to himself, making sure she couldn't see the blaze across the street. How could he have brought her here and allowed her to see this? He felt her shake as she cried into his chest, wailing for their parents.

* * *

><p><strong>Present<strong>

"Rufus? Rufus?" The Memory-Make wizard broke his reverie at the sound of his name called repeatedly. The baker's wife stood next to the table that Rufus seated himself at, holding a picture frame in one arm while keeping her other hand on her cane.

"Are you alright?" she asked worriedly as the young man was fixed in that position even when she left him temporarily to fetch something.

"There's no need to worry, madam," Rufus assured as he removed his hand from his forehead while placing his hat back on. "I was simply...reminiscing." It was more than that: he was confused. Rufus was sure that he had watched the fire that took his parents away from him alone that day, yet he vividly envisioned his supposed younger sister with him. He wanted to tell himself that she wasn't real, but how else did he remember feeling regret from letting her view such a sight?

The old lady could sense that he was lying so he wouldn't worry her, so she chose not to add to it. Rufus was a young teenager when he lost his parents; she didn't want to bring him more pain by continuing on the subject. "There's no need to strain yourself by recalling the past," she informed, keeping a grip on the picture frame. The backing of the frame faced Rufus, which left him wondering about the actual picture. "We can wish to go back and return, but in the end we can only move forward. Wouldn't you agree?"

"...Yes," Rufus conceded with a sad smile. "I find myself in concordance with your words."

Something about Rufus' words caused her to chuckle lightly, making the Memory-Make wizard wonder what she found amusing. "Funny you should say _concordance_, Rufus." The old lady extended the arm that held the picture frame and set it on the table. "Concordance happens to be your younger sister's middle name."

Rufus fought the urge to laugh at this metaphor. _Concordance, hm?_ Rufus thought as he glanced at the picture frame placed before him. His eyes widened in shock while his magic memorized the photo.

Two blond children—a boy and a girl, who was then a toddler—stood next to one of the many tree peonies of Peony Lane. Rufus recognized himself at the age of ten, holding a paper bag filled with bread from the bakery with one arm. His free hand clutched a napkin that he held out to his younger sister, who pulled her scarf down so she could eat a large ham and cheese croissant in the picture.

Even with the picture frame as its shield, time clearly had its effect on the photograph. Rufus knew that snow during the winter was much brighter than the dull shade that they were in the picture. But he wasn't focused on such a trivial thing. His eyes were on the little girl that he offered a napkin to, whose eyes were the exact dark shade of green as his.

Rufus couldn't find the exact words to say. He wanted to argue that many people had green eyes, but even the shades varied among unrelated individuals. His memories tried to deny this, but the evidence was there for him to challenge. The little girl in the photo matched the girl in his dreams.

"—you were quite mature for your age," Rufus heard the old lady say as he came back to reality. "After your mother returned to the institute to earn money to support her children along with your father, you were in charge of your younger sister until your mother came home. And you usually took your sister outside with you so she wouldn't stay cooped up at home."

A bell seemed to ring in Rufus' mind, alerting him that something was wrong. During their conversation, not once did the baker say his younger sister's name. If she really did exist, then this woman would know her name, wouldn't she? But the fact that she never mentioned her name struck him as odd.

_Is she telling the truth?_ Rufus thought as he gave the photo one last look before he glanced up at the old woman, who rambled on about Rufus' past. _Or is it simply a trick to make a fool of me?_

"Excuse me, madam," Rufus interrupted politely as he prepared to test the baker's account. "But I couldn't help but notice that you never called my sister by her name."

The old lady's eyebrows furrowed in concentration, which made Rufus narrow his eyes in response. "Don't test my memory, Rufus, especially at my age." She rubbed her forehead as if struggling to remember. "Her name was always difficult for me to remember. Sometimes I wonder _why_ your parents named her that."

Disappointment filled Rufus before annoyance replaced it quickly. He just allowed himself to waste time with another person trying to profit from his fame as a wizard of Saber Tooth. How was he not surprised? Every time something like this happened to him or his colleagues, the bluffer would always leave out their name in the hopes that their supposed relative would identify them.

But was it truly sophistry? Ever since he started having those dreams, his rational side fought with a new side of him that didn't know what to believe anymore.

The longer he stayed here and listened to the old lady, the more he wanted to get out so he didn't have to hear her.

"Ah!" Before he could get up to leave, the baker's wife blurted, "Not the exact name, but I do remember that she was named after your grandmother, Madame Lore."

_Named after grandmother, hm?_ Rufus wondered, still hesitant to believe the baker's wife. He cast a glance at the clock, which read ten thirty. "I'm afraid I must leave," Rufus said, though he was really relieved to escape. "I have something to do for my guild that I can't put off."

The old lady nodded in understanding as she collected the picture frame and stood up. Rufus got up and walked around the table to reach the door. "If you come by again," she called before she could retreat to the back of the bakery, "could you bring your younger sister along? I'd like to see her again."

Rufus' hand stopped on the door handle at her words. If he did return, and he would in almost a month, would his supposed younger sister be by his side? Or would he hold the hand of a stranger who wanted to live off his fame? Did she truly exist, or was he a pawn in this game of lies?

The Memory-Make wizard looked back and smiled slyly. "Yes," he said. "I will return with her."

Before Rufus could open the door, it swung open from the outside as a customer entered the bakery. The Memory-Make wizard stumbled back at the sudden entrance of the dark green-haired man who now stood before him.

The young man noticed Rufus, eyes flashing with recognition, and stepped to the side. Nodding in silent thanks, Rufus slipped past him and left the bakery.

When the door closed behind him, Rufus looked back at the door that he just left through. The sight of the green-haired man reminded him of a former guild mate with the same hair color. "Eusine?" Rufus wondered, though no one seemed to hear him say this.

* * *

><p>"Huh." Inside the bakery, Eusine glanced back at the door where the Saber Tooth wizard just exited. "I never thought I'd see him so soon," he noted to himself.<p>

"Excuse me." The doctor/librarian faced the baker's wife, who looked at him questioningly. "Is there something you want?"

Remembering what he came for, Eusine came closer to the counter and examined the delicacies inside the glass case. His eyes landed on what looked like a large strudel, he pointed to it and said, "I would like the ham and cheese strudel, please."

"Excellent choice." While the old lady opened the case from the baker's side of the counter, Eusine's eyes landed on the photo of Rufus and his little sister as children. "I thought she looked like him, too," he murmured.

"Hm?" The old lady looked up with Eusine's order in a paper bag in her hands. "Did you say something?"

"Wha—?" Looking up from the picture frame, Eusine made eye contact with the elderly woman as he took his snack and paid her the correct amount of Jewels. With one last glance at the photo, he asked, "If you don't mind, can you tell me about those two children in the picture?"

"Eh?" The old lady looked at him in confusion. "I'm sorry, could you repeat what you said?"

"I—"

"COOL!" The bakery door slammed open as Jason barged in excitedly. Both Eusine and the old lady jolted, alarmed by the eccentric reporter's entrance.

"Oh, for the love of—" Eusine face-palmed himself while Jason pushed past him and took a picture of the picture frame on the counter. "Not this guy," the doctor/librarian groaned.

"Is it true, old lady?" Jason asked while scribbling hurriedly in his notepad, his camera hanging around his neck. "Rufus really has a little sister, right? This is so COOL!" he screamed.

Eyes narrowed in annoyance, the old woman responded, "I have no idea who you are, but what gives you the right to barge into my bakery and make assumptions of who is related to whom?"

"I heard you, though!" Jason exclaimed while his pen stopped taking notes. "You said to Rufus that he always held his sister's hand when he came here! You even showed him a photo of him and her together!"

"That," the old lady began, "is preposterous. The child in the photo is not Rufus' younger sister." Eusine's eyebrows rose when she said this while Jason stared at her in shock.

"So you lied to us? That is so UNCOOL! And I refuse to believe it!" Jason closed his notepad and rushed out of the bakery with his findings.

"Such an odd man," the elderly woman huffed, bringing Eusine's attention back to her. "His manners are lacking as well."

"So...was it true?" Eusine asked slowly. "Did you really not know who she was? Or was it a ruse to protect Rufus?"

* * *

><p><strong>X790, May 4, 10:45 AM<strong>

**The Royal Library**

Yuka and Platin sat at a library table close to the librarian's desk, with the former tapping his feet like a tap dancer's. Platin, however, quietly read his book while ignoring the sound Yuka's feet made.

It was ten thirty when Yuka arrived with Platin, and the Sleeper wandering off after returning the book he borrowed. As it turned out, the paperwork for the Grand Magic Games wouldn't be ready for the guilds until eleven. _Fifteen more minutes_, Yuka reminded himself as he checked the clock again.

Platin looked up from his current book to study Yuka's enormous eyebrows carefully. "Yuka, you could read a book to pass the time."

Yuka tried to meet the eyes of his youngest guild mate, but with difficulty. "Kid...I picked out a book—but how do you expect me to find it when it's buried by yours?" he nearly screamed at the Sleeper. True to his word, the entire table was buried by stacks of books that reached a height of eighteen inches.

"Oh..." Platin set down his book, looking away guiltily. "This is quite the predicament I made."

"Just how do you read so many books in almost an hour?"

The Sleeper adjusted his blue cap. "I will admit they were wonderful to read, but they weren't satisfying for me. If a book requires half the day to finish, then it's an excellent book."

Yuka face-palmed himself as he rubbed his forehead. "Somehow I'm hoping for you to go to sleep and turn back into that sleepy little kid on a magic carpet."

"Can I help you look for your book, Yuka?" Platin asked politely.

Deciding to let the boy assist him, Yuka conceded. "Find it if you can," he said as he turned each stack of books carefully so he could see the names on the spines. "Look out for _The Unwound Future _by Kemu Zaleon, will you?"

Platin blinked. "Did you say the book's title was _The Unwound Future_?"

Yuka stood from his chair so he could get a better visual of Platin. "You found it already?"

"This is quite a coincidence. You see—" The blond boy held up an open book with its spine pointed towards Yuka. _The Unwound Future_ stood out in delicate gold letters. "This is the book I was reading." Yuka fell on his face, dumbstruck by the turn of events. "In lack of better words...it's amazing. As exciting as it is, I will admit that dying for a pocket watch seems—"

Yuka got back on his feet and pointed a finger at his guild mate. "Don't you dare finish that, Platin!" he ordered.

"...My apologies, Yuka," Platin apologized. The boy closed the book and held it out to the Wave with both hands. "I didn't mean to keep you waiting by perusing through your book."

"Don't sweat it, Platin," Yuka sighed as if annoyed while he accepted the book. "Just try not to bury my book the next time we go to a library."

Platin smiled underneath his glasses. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Are you finished with all of those?" The Wave asked as Platin lifted a stack of books and carried them over to a small cart.

"I finished all but one," the Sleeper responded as he set the books on the book cart, arranging them in order. The blond boy frowned when he lifted the book in question. "The writing style of the author is rather tedious and, to a reader, it begs the question as to why this was written in the beginning."

A sweat drop appeared on Yuka's temple while he laughed nervously. He didn't know how much longer he could stand Platin speaking in an adult manner. As frustrating as Platin was when he was sleepy, he was starting to miss that lethargic side of the boy. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with the Sleeper Platin?"

Platin answered with a light laugh of his own, "I'm afraid I don't follow your question at all, Yuka. Unless you're implying that I am an impostor—"

But Yuka didn't hear any of Platin's words. The Wave tuned out of the conversation when he saw that, behind Platin, Rufus of Saber Tooth entered the library.

"—though if I were to tell you that I am not Platin at the moment, would you—?"

"Will you look at the time, Platin! It's almost eleven!" Yuka got out of his chair and pushed Platin towards some bookshelves. "I'll check if those papers are ready while you go pick out a book that you want to take with you, okay?"

"If you insist, though I would prefer to stop by a bookstore this—time!" Platin yelped when Yuka shoved him so hard, he nearly tripped over his feet. The Sleeper adjusted his cap again before doing the same with his glasses. "That was rather rude, Yuka!"

"Sorry, Platin, but we have a train to catch in fifteen minutes," Yuka said in a rush. It wasn't a total lie, but Yuka also wanted to keep Platin away from Saber Tooth. That guild was filled with power-hungry monsters, and they would even hurt a child to get what they wanted. Though he was about to disobey Ooba's order to not leave Platin alone, Yuka knew that Saber Tooth wouldn't dare to attack in a public place. "And you know how far the train station is from here."

"Why, yes, I do see why—"

"One more thing!" Yuka interrupted before he left the boy to himself. "If a blond guy in red asks for your name, don't give it to him, you hear me, Platin?"

Platin blinked in confusion while his eyebrows rose at this strange command. "Y-yes."

Meanwhile, Rufus conversed with the librarian, who informed him that the official paperwork for the Grand Magic Games would be ready in five minutes.

Rufus sighed as he left the librarian's desk. "Since that is the case, I'll read a book until then," he said to himself. Looking up, a figure with blue hair and unusually large eyebrows coming from the opposite direction caught his attention. There was only person in Fiore with those eyebrows, and that was his most distinguishing mark: Yuka Suzuki, the Anti-Mage of Lamia Scale.

There was no need for Rufus to start a conversation with a member of a rival guild. After all, wizards of Saber Tooth were kings: the rest of the wizards out there were beneath them. Even with that in mind, the scowl on Yuka's face was something to question.

The two wizards approached each other, each with a different destination in mind—and walked past the other without another word. Rufus looked back at the Wave, who continued his own way without a glance back. Was it just him, or did he sense a killing intent from the older man?

_If so, what reason does he have to possess it?_ Rufus wondered as he reached the bookshelves. A ladder stood next to him while he skimmed the shelves for an interesting book. _Unless they still blame us for attacking their guild mate? But Master has told them that it wasn't us, so why—?_

A sound on his left drew his attention away from the books and on a blond boy with a familiar blue cap and glasses. Even with glasses, Rufus recognized the schoolboy. "Isn't this our second meeting?" The words came out before Rufus could stop them.

Platin's eyebrows rose, which made him look unsure. "It is?" he asked.

Rufus cocked his head back as he examined the boy. The last time he saw this boy, he couldn't see his eyes since he was sleeping then. Now that he was awake, a curious pair of purple eyes returned his gaze. "Do these words sound familiar to you: 'Dreams are a heart's way of saying you've forgotten something. Tell me, what have you forgotten?'"

Recognition flashed in his eyes before the boy climbed off the ladder. "So you were the man we spoke to that day."

"We?" Rufus asked, wondering what the boy meant.

Platin used his left hand to gesture to himself. "We—my unconscious counterpart is something of a separate entity," he explained with a smile. "I'm often told that I say curious things when I slumber."

"So you do," the Memory-Make wizard agreed. When asleep, this boy was amusing; awake, Rufus could see that he was intelligent for his age. "Your existence has been engraved in my memories...yet your name is what I seem to lack. Would you be so kind as to introduce yourself?"

Platin recalled Yuka's words, warning him not to give out his name to a blond man in red. Rufus certainly fit the description, just as the Wave promised. But the boy couldn't figure out what exactly Yuka had against Rufus. So why did he command Platin not to give out his name?

Platin knew that Rufus was waiting for him to respond, so he decided to give him his name—while following Yuka's order not to as well. "The name that I was given," Platin began, "is Julian."

The Memory-Make wizard scrutinized the younger blond carefully. "Julian, hm?"

"Kid!" The blonds turned in the direction of the voice, which belonged to Yuka. "Come on, we're leaving!"

"You're with Lamia Scale?" Rufus questioned. "At this age?"

Platin adjusted his cap before he answered, "Yes, I'm aligned with—wah!" Yuka's hand came out of nowhere and yanked Platin away from Rufus.

The Saber Tooth wizard watched the Lamia Scale duo retreat to the exit before murmuring to himself, "No, this is the _third_ time we've crossed paths, isn't it, _Julian_?" Rufus narrowed his eyes at the blond boy who was being pulled along with Yuka. "I've seen your face one other time before today."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**Just to let you know, **_The Unwound Future_** is not a real book in the Fairy Tail universe. Nor did Zekua Melon actually write it. At least, I think he didn't.**

**If you don't remember, Zekua Melon was better known as Kemu Zaleon, a famous adventure novelist in Fairy Tail.**


	17. Forgetful?

**I'm so sorry!**

**I meant to update several times, but school has caught up to me and my grade in AP Psychology isn't the best right now. Unless I get to a point where it's safe for me to write and update freely, I'm afraid the intervals between updates will be really long. It's my final year of high school and I intend to leave with flying colors.**

The walk from the Royal Library to the train station usually took fifteen minutes as long as one didn't stop at a local attraction. The Wave, however, cut that time in half while he sped off with the young Sleeper in tow, earning odd looks from anyone who took a better look at what seemed to be a green blur flying a blue flag. After buying their tickets, Yuka and Platin managed to jump into the train just before it pulled out of the platform.

"Truly, I have never been handled like that!" Platin cried indignantly as he fixed his hat and adjusted his glasses once Yuka released him. "There was no need to rush in that manner, Yuka!"

"Well, your Highness," Yuka began with a sarcastic tone as he was annoyed by Platin's constant use of formal speech which he decided to adopt today, "there's a first for everything."

Becoming annoyed with every little thing wasn't Yuka's thing—that was Toby's job. But the Wave found himself trying to hold back how annoyed he was at his young comrade. When the boy was his usual lethargic self, Yuka only had to worry about Platin when the boy's sleepiness put him in some kind of danger, and that was annoying in a normal way. Now that he was totally alert, Yuka just wanted to gag Platin so he didn't have to hear his formal manner of speech. In all honesty, he preferred the sleepy, inert blond boy compared to this active intellect.

"Now, now, settle down," a familiar voice chimed from behind Yuka. The Wave spun around to see Eusine with his satchel at his side and a long paper bag in his arms. "Platin is still a child, so take it easy on him."

"We meet again, Eusine," Platin said with a smile.

"How do we keep running into you like this?" Yuka asked.

Eusine laughed lightly while he rubbed the back of his head. "Hospital business went by quickly. I only had to pick up a couple of papers, and I was free to do what I pleased. During my free time, I managed to catch a pretty good rumor. Would you like to hear it?"

"I'm not one for idle gossip," Platin informed. "However, my interest depends on the rumor itself."

The doctor/librarian smiled slyly. "I'm sure I can pique your interest. Before we continue, shall we go where we won't be heard by everyone on board?"

* * *

><p>Yuka tried to divert his attention from his fellow passenger, a difficult thing to do when the person in question snacked on a large food item. "Not to be rude, Eusine...but how the heck did you get a giant ham and cheese strudel?" he concluded while the dark green-haired doctorlibrarian tried not to spill flaky crumbs.

Eusine swallowed before he wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Crocus, naturally. Most of the cafes will have them, but the only place to get a large one would be this little bakery on Peony Lane."

Platin's head shot up in reaction to the name. It was as if a bell rang loudly in his mind once he heard the name of the street. "Peony Lane?" he repeated. "Did I hear you correctly?"

Eusine lowered his strudel to examine Platin's facial features. "Yes," he confirmed slowly. "Does the name ring a bell, Platin?"

Ironic that he used the words that described exactly what was going on in his subconscious. The Sleeper shook his head as he leaned back in his seat while pulling up his legs to his chest. He put a hand to his head, his face contorted in confusion. "...I've never been to Peony Lane, not once whenever I visited Crocus," Platin began weakly while his fingertips pressed against his forehead. "However...I know that its location is not far from the Royal Library. I know it can't be true...I know where I lived in the past...but I think I used to live there as well."

"You lived in Crocus?" Yuka asked.

"Hold it," Eusine interjected. "He said he _thinks_ he lived there. He's not sure if he did."

"Platin could have been a little kid when he lived there, so obviously he—"

While neither of the two wizards were focused on Platin, the Sleeper curled out of his ball and straightened his legs. He lifted his glasses momentarily so he could wipe his eyes with a sleeve before he set his glasses over his eyes again.

"—then let's ask him how to get to Peony Lane, shall we?" Eusine challenged.

"Yeah, let's!" Yuka turned to Platin, who was adjusting his hat at the moment. "So, Platin, if you did live in Crocus, then where is Peony Lane?"

"Peony Lane?" Platin rubbed a corner of his right eye with his pinkie finger. "It's in the eastern part of Crocus, where it's quieter than most parts of the city."

Yuka looked to Eusine, whose eyebrows disappeared into his hairline after hearing Platin's answer. The doctor/librarian leaned back in his seat, scrutinizing his former employee. The boy shifted, feeling uneasy under the intense gaze. "So you did live there at one point," Eusine stated.

Platin held his head while blinking tiredly. "I don't know how to explain it...It's like a stream of information invaded my mind. I feel like I'm supposed to remember it, yet I can't. Isn't that strange?"

Eusine shrugged his arms up as if in surrender. "Well," he began as he folded his right leg over his left, "if that's strange, then this should qualify as impossible."

* * *

><p>Sherry burst into Lamia Scale, unable to contain her excitement after what happened during her photo shoot.<p>

"How did the photo shoot go, Sherry?" Lyon called from the bar area. He expected a straight answer; he did not expect Sherry to shake him by the shoulders frantically. "Okay, sorry for asking! Was it that bad?" he asked, assuming by Sherry's behavior that the shoot did not end well.

"Oh, forget the photo shoot, Lyon! This is big, REALLY big!" Sherry exclaimed. "You won't believe what I just heard there!"

"All right, just calm down and quit shaking me!" Lyon yelled at the Doll Attack wizard as he managed to remove her hands from his shoulders.

"Lyon-dono is right, Sherry-dono," Jura joined in. "Please take a moment to compose yourself."

Taking the Wizard Saint's advice to heart, Sherry took several deep breaths before she proceeded. "Well, after the shoot, I was about to leave when that annoying Jason rushed in and—"

* * *

><p>"What?" The Lamia Scale wizards cried simultaneously.<p>

Eusine nodded in confirmation. "I overheard him and one of the owners of the bakery speaking to each other. Apparently, Rufus has a younger sister."

"Wait, are you sure this isn't one of those scams that started ever since Saber Tooth became number one?" Yuka asked suspiciously. "If it turns out to be a hoax, Saber Tooth will be hacked off from being deceived. Scratch that, they'll go on a rampage once they hear about it."

Eusine shook his head while he reached into his satchel for his camera. "I doubt it. The old lady had a photo of the two together when they were younger. And the picture should be here somewhere..." The doctor/librarian withdrew a camera from his bag and turned it on.

"A Lacrima Camera?" Platin asked as a small flat screen projected itself before Eusine's face.

"It's an old model," Eusine explained as he tapped several icons on the flat screen. "I suppose the term prototype is more correct. When it first came out in X784, the manufacturers didn't know they had the perfect model until they decided to expand it. The newer models might be faster, but the older ones make up for that in quality and organization. Of course, that's my opinion and I'm biased. Aha!" The flat screen displayed a picture of two blond children, a boy and a girl. The boy offered a napkin to the little girl eating a large strudel while crumbs landed on her scarf.

"The girl's a sloppy eater," Yuka said without thinking.

Eusine raised an eyebrow at the blue-haired man with an offended expression. "Hey, do you have any idea how hard it is _not_ to spill crumbs when you're eating puff pastry?"

"There is some resemblance between the two," Platin noted as he pushed up his glasses. "However, other than the hair and eye shade, the resemblance stops there."

"Exactly," Yuka agreed. "Lots of people have blond hair and green eyes, like Eve from Blue Pegasus."

"True," Eusine admitted, "but you don't see him claiming to be Rufus' long-lost cousin, do you?"

"There's no way that playboy could be related to Rufus!"

"See?"

Yuka sighed in defeat. "I'm guessing you bought the strudel after Rufus and the baker were done talking?"

Eusine frowned. "About that..." The doctor/librarian crossed his leg so that his ankle rested on his other knee. "Imagine this: I went to buy an afternoon snack after Rufus left the bakery. The picture was there on the counter for anyone to see. I asked the old lady about the girl in the photo. Now imagine how surprised I was when she said that the girl _wasn't_ Rufus' younger sister."

"What?!" The train slowed down before it came to a complete stop, as if the locomotive were expressing the same surprise Yuka and Platin possessed.

"I knew it was too good to be true!" Yuka exclaimed as they stood and made their way to the platform. "So the old lady was lying!"

Eusine shook his head adamantly. "Couldn't be. I overheard the two talking about the girl in the photo. She sounded so sure of herself." The green-haired man shrugged as if to say 'ah, well', nearly stumbling as he missed a step in the process. He regained his balance and climbed off the train carefully.

"Watch it," Yuka said as he followed after the doctor. "Platin's clumsiness is contagious."

"Yuka!" Platin cried indignantly once he set foot on the platform.

"I'm kidding."

"If you ask me, I think it was a ruse to protect Rufus," Eusine said as they left the train station. "The baker knew him since he was a kid, so she must have heard about how many bluffers have come forward pretending to be someone they're not."

"Mh-hm." Platin reached into his own satchel and removed a notepad and a pen before he flipped the notepad open so he could scribble something down.

"You're left-handed?" Eusine asked, taking notice of which hand the boy used to write with.

"I'm ambidextrous," Platin said, looking up from his notepad. "However, I prefer to use my left hand as long as I have the option."

"That explains the horrible handwriting," Yuka remarked, which earned a nonplussed expression from Platin.

"I'm afraid I can't argue with your statement," the Sleeper admitted. "However, my penmanship is—oh?" A thin slip of paper with numerals printed near the corners caught the boy's eye. "A Jewel note?" At the same time Platin knelt to pick up the Jewel, a large crystalline condor flew towards the unsuspecting boy.

"Whoa!" Eusine and Yuka moved out of the way to avoid the condor's range. The avian golem missed its target completely when Platin unknowingly ducked to avoid it.

"Hm?" Platin returned to his feet, a ten thousand Jewel note within his hand. "Is something wrong?"

"Sharp as always, huh?" A familiar voice called from above, drawing all eyes towards the crystalline condor. The golem circled above them once before a human shape rose from the back. Crystal material faded, leaving flesh and clothes in its place. "Your guard is down, but you know when the enemy is near," Ansen continued as the last traces of crystal vanished from his body. "Then again, that's why I made you my rival."

"Oh?" Eusine adjusted his own glasses so he could get a better look at the boy on the crystal condor. "Aren't you—"

"Ansen?" Platin finished as the older boy jumped from the condor's back and landed on the ground. "What brings you here again?"

In a grand flourish, Ansen swept his arm outwards, his finger aimed at Platin. "I demand a rematch, Sleeper! This time, you can't back out!"

"Are you kidding?" Yuka nearly yelled at Platin's rival. "The kid just got better and you choose now to challenge him?"

"Hey, I'm doing him a favor!" Ansen adjusted his tasseled hat, which slouched over his eyes earlier. "I'm saving him from becoming a noodle in the future!"

"A noodle, hm?" Platin chuckled softly as he lifted his pen from his notepad, purple eyes meeting brown jovially. "Well, I can't deny that my injury hindered me temporarily. So I'm to assume that you're here to—in lack of better words—whip me back into shape?"

"Exactly! So what do you say, Sleeper?"

Platin pushed his glasses up slightly, his pen grasped firmly in his hand. "Since you requested it, it's courtesy that decrees that I must accept. However, I must confess one thing." The schoolboy held up his pen for all to see, sunlight reflecting off the sleek surface. "My only means of offense shall be this pen."

Ansen's eyebrows twitched in annoyance while Yuka's did the same in disbelief.

_Is this kid messing around?_ Yuka thought.

"A-A pen? That's what you're going to fight with?" Pushing his annoyance aside, Ansen put his hands together. His magic gathered where they met, radiating pale blue light. "Last chance to change your mind, Sleeper! I seriously won't hold back!"

"By all means." Platin snapped his notepad shut, a small smile on his face as he met Ansen's eyes again. "_Bring it._"

_I swear, that smile looks almost exactly like Rufus',_ Eusine thought. A shadow fell over him, causing Eusine to look up at the sky, where the crystal condor continued to circle above them. _And that condor should have disappeared by now._

Just as Ansen opened his mouth to cast his spell, Platin swept his arm out with his pen in his rival's direction. "Dark Écriture: Disintegration!"

"Wait, what?" Yuka exclaimed as purple runes appeared on Ansen's chest. "I thought you used Telekinesis!"

Blinding light emanated from the runes before it consumed the area. Everyone in the vicinity shielded their eyes from the harsh light before it faded quickly. When Yuka uncovered his eyes, Ansen was nowhere to be found. Only a pile of glittering dust remained where he stood. "Platin, that was overkill!" Yuka yelled at the silent boy.

_Ah! Clever!_ Eusine thought with a small smirk on his face.

The schoolboy ignored the Wave's comment and looked to the sky, where the crystalline condor continued to fly. "Not overkill...It was just an unlikely disintegration of a certain substance."

"Huh?" Yuka stared at his young comrade as if the boy spoke in a foreign language. "Come again?"

"When he first made his appearance, he sprouted from the back of the condor, did he not?" Platin's eyes narrowed at the condor, which stopped flying in circles and hovered above the scene instead. "An advanced user of elemental Molding Magic can merge with their own element, so I assumed you merged with your golem and emerged from it. In truth, a golem in your likeness acted in your place while you remained inside, all so you could deliver surprise attack from above when I least expected it. And you know that everything I have just said—" The schoolboy swept his arm out dramatically before pointing to the condor. "—is the undeniable truth!"

The crystalline condor swooped down as if to attack Platin, but at the last second the condor pulled out of the dive and spread its wings. Smooth, crystalline wings flapped several times before the condor's form changed into that of a boy's. Ansen landed on his feet before he lifted his head to meet his rival's purple eyes.

Wait, why the hell were Platin's eyes _purple_?! "Nice eyes, Sleeper," Ansen commented with a nod of acknowledgement.

"Ansen was the condor the whole time?" Yuka wondered out loud.

"An elemental Molding magician's creations usually dissipate on the master's command when there is no need for them," Eusine said with a glint of admiration in his eyes. "Had there been no need for the condor, Ansen would have either dispelled or rendered his creation immobile."

"You knew the whole time?"

Eusine looked at the blue-haired man as though it should have been obvious before he pointed to the sky. "Dynamic creations are mobile as long as the caster wills it. Since the condor was still flying when this battle began, it meant either Ansen meant to attack with it, or that he was within the condor all along!"

Ansen dusted off the front of his suikan top, pale brown eyes never leaving his rival. "No wonder Grandpa told me to watch out for pens this morning." The older boy adjusted his tasseled hat while his rival did the same with his own cap. "Then again, no matter how ridiculous his predictions are, he's never wrong."

Meanwhile, Platin opened his notepad again and scribbled in it. It was difficult for him to write with his left hand, but with how the notebook was oriented, the difficulty lessened somewhat. Having waited long enough for his rival to make his next move, Platin peered at Ansen curiously with his glasses. "Oh? Do you require a respite?"

"No way, Sleeper!" Ansen pointed a finger dramatically at Platin. "Neither of us will get a break until I settle the score!"

Platin sighed in exasperation, which irritated Ansen, though he didn't show it. He'd heard that type of sigh so many times, just the sound of it made him sick to the core. It was bad enough that he heard it from his mother frequently and from his cousin who—ever since he joined Saber Tooth last year—decided he was too good to be seen with Ansen. "Very well, Ansen," Platin said as he closed his notebook again. Purple eyes narrowed behind a pair of glasses while the same eyes met brown ones, challenging them. "Come at me."

As soon as Ansen put his hands together, Platin pointed his pen in his rival's direction. "Dark Écriture: Restriction!"

Several runes appeared across Ansen's chest again but produced a different effect than the last spell. Ansen stood rooted to the spot, struggling to advance but unable to do so. "Wha-what is this?"

"A restrictive spell," Platin said simply. "You are currently incapable of movement, which leaves you open for any and all attacks."

Ansen grinned slowly, which made Platin tilt his head in confusion. Slowly, Ansen's body began to crystallize, which turned skin and clothes into clear, brilliant crystal. "N-not bad, Sleeper. I hate to rain on your parade, but I thought something like this would happen. Which is why—"

"—I had a backup plan!" Ansen's voice yelled behind Platin.

"What?" Platin turned in time to see a smoke bomb explode behind him. Out of the smoke came his rival, who drew back his crystallized fist. Platin instinctively brought his arms up to shield himself since he had no time to cast a spell.

A wide grin stretched across Ansen's face. As quickly as it had formed, the crystal arm dispelled and reverted the limb to skin and bone. Ansen's fist sent Platin flying until he hit a wall. Platin's glasses fell from the impact while the Sleeper collapsed on the ground and held his throbbing head.

"Platin!" Yuka cried as he ran over to the young magician. Eusine followed suit to make sure the boy wasn't critically injured.

"Ugh...Y-Yuka?" Platin mumbled as he rubbed his forehead. "What happened?"

"You forgot already?" Ansen asked, though he was starting to get used to his rival forgetting every battle they had. Even though it irked him, that was just how the world worked. "I challenged you and I won! Now we're even!"

"This is no time to gloat, Ansen!" Yuka snapped.

"A-A battle?" Platin held his head as if in thought. Part of his cap slid off of his head and Eusine caught sight of something that made his eyes narrow. "No...that can't be right. I was just at the guild and I tripped...Obaba wanted me to wear my glasses...I couldn't have battled you."

"What?" All eyes zeroed in on Eusine, who bent down to Platin's level. The doctor examined the boy as he would with a patient. "So you don't remember fighting Ansen, but you remember what happened this morning at the guild?"

"Yes," Platin said quietly with a nod to reinforce his confirmation.

"What about what happened after you left the guild? Do you remember going to Crocus with us?"

"Crocus?" Platin shook his head in denial. "No...I was at the guild the whole time."

Eusine's eyes narrowed, which made Platin flinch under the doctor's gaze. The boy couldn't be lying: the look in his green eyes was too earnest for that.

_A liar can't feign ignorance completely_, Eusine thought as he racked his brain for possible conclusions. _This kid, however...you have no idea at all, do you?_


	18. Retroactive Interference

**Yes, I am back! And I am sorry!**

**Strange thing is that I thought that I would have more time and inspiration to work on my stories during break. I did have time, but my inspiration was gone. I think having a busy schedule actually helped me write.**

**Anyhow, I know you are impatient with me. Yes, I will update The Unwound Future for those of you who read my other story. However, I plan to update several chapters for this story first and then update the next chapter for The Unwound Future. (This plan, however, is subject to change.) If you read both of my stories, then some familiar names—other than canon characters—will pop up in both. **

**Now on with the story!**

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><p><strong>X790, May 12, 3:30 PM<strong>

There was definitely something different in the air of the town where Saber Tooth resided. The atmosphere was charged with excitement while gossip flowed loosely from the lips of the citizens.

Coincidentally, today happened to be the day when the weekly issue of Sorcerer Magazine was released. And this week's magazine featured an article on one of the top five resident wizards, complete with his picture on the cover.

"I can't believe it! He really had a—!"

"His sister must be a beauty! After all, Rufus is a looker!"

"Gross! What are you, a pedophile?!"

The townsfolk held copies of Sorcerer Magazine or they gathered around others who did. People chattered mindlessly as they scanned articles rapidly, devouring its contents like manna from above. Most of the readers in the town seemed to be young girls who squealed in delight at the opportunity to gain fame and fortune without having to work for it. They primped and preened themselves while they designed convincing stories in order to have that glory.

"There's gonna be a lot of pretty girls lining up at Saber Tooth," a man said, his eyes never leaving the magazine.

A man with a pipe in his mouth looked up from his issue and glanced in the direction of Saber Tooth's headquarters. "But still," he muttered with uncertainty, "didn't they have some issues with con artists a while back?"

The third party, a man with his hair slicked back, snorted loudly. "When do they not have problems with quacks? These past years, we've seen people line up at Saber Tooth, claiming to be someone they aren't! Nearly every time, all of them were sent flying back home!"

The smoker removed his pipe from between his lips. "Only a handful were idiots to try and pose as a relative of the top five," he recalled, smoke leaving his mouth. "The rest were smart enough to target the minor members."

"But this is Rufus Lore we're talking about!" The first man gestured to the article on the aforementioned wizard. "He's one of the top five! Once Jiemma gets word of this—!"

Suddenly, a great bellow echoed throughout the town, its epicenter the headquarters of Saber Tooth. Birds took flight, chirping their alarm to those who would listen. Citizens jolted in fright and stared up to the building topped by a saber-toothed tiger.

"He's about to raise hell, isn't he?"

The smoker whipped his head towards the first man with a nonplussed expression on his face. "You just _had_ to jinx it."

* * *

><p><strong>Saber Tooth<strong>

The number one guild in Fiore was in uproar, all because of one Sorcerer Magazine issue that featured Saber Tooth's Memory-Make wizard. Normally, the guild reveled in any opportunity that gave them good publicity, but the publishers crossed the line this time. The article didn't just turn the spotlight on them; it also posed as a beacon for unwanted guests to come to Saber Tooth.

"What the hell?" Sting muttered as he slapped the article down on the bar. "So Rufus had a kid sister all along?"

"Well, we can't all be orphans," Rogue said as he pushed his food around his plate with a fork. "Some of us probably still have family somewhere."

Maybe Rogue should have chosen his words better because his own words hit a little too close to home for the Twin Dragons. The Shadow Dragon Slayer knew for sure that some people in this guild had one person or more to call family—by that, he meant blood relatives, not the silly familial bond that Fairy Tail's members had. Sting and Rogue were part of the other half of the guild who didn't have any family, or they didn't know if their family was alive.

The White Dragon Slayer didn't care for such a thing. Weisslogia once told Sting that he found him as a child wandering around in the forest where the dragon lived, so Sting assumed that his "parents" were irresponsible adults. Rogue remained indifferent whenever the topic came up, though that didn't stop him from wondering if they were alive or dead.

Sting didn't seem phased by Rogue's comment; then again, his attention was still on the article. "Still, you'd think that Rufus would mention a sibling once in a while. I didn't think he'd spill it in front of an eavesdropping reporter!"

"Still, this is going to draw unwanted attention to the guild," Lector said.

Frosch raised his paw in agreement. "Fro thinks so, too!"

The doors to the guild opened, drawing all attention to the Memory-Make wizard as he walked in. Questions erupted immediately, but Rufus was in no mood to speak with any of his colleagues. The young man didn't show it, but he was furious: the editors of the magazine had no right to publish his personal history, yet they eagerly accepted what the eavesdropping reporter gave them. He spent the entire morning at the magazine's headquarters in order to have a retraction printed, though he knew the damage was done.

"Lore!" Rufus met the eyes of Rietta at the bar. The chef's eyebrows rose as she brandished the magazine issue at him. "Do you mind explaining how that insufferable Jason got his hands on your personal background?"

Before he could manage a reply, a loud bellow sounded from the guild master's office, alarming everyone on the ground floor. As soon as the office door opened, the members of Saber Tooth stood up in acknowledgement of their master. Jiemma said nothing while his eyes searched through the crowd of subordinates below, his mind focused on one in particular. No one had to guess to know which wizard he wanted a word with.

Jiemma's eyes narrowed when he found the subordinate in question. "Rufus."

At once, the rest of Saber Tooth moved away from Rufus, which would grant Jiemma a clear path to the Memory-Make wizard when he came down. But the master of Saber Tooth remained on the second floor, choosing instead to stare down one of his top five wizards. "So," he said, his voice low and dangerous yet loud enough to project through the entire guild. "You have a younger sister."

Rufus looked up and met the eyes of his guild master, recognizing the contempt and fury that radiated from his body. "I don't know how Sorcerer Magazine managed to procure that information," he responded. "However, every word of what was printed is true."

Scattered murmurs erupted within the guild, though a glance from the guild master silenced loose lips. Jiemma redirected his attention to Rufus. "And what," he asked, a hint of a challenge within the aged but lethal master's voice, "is the child's name?"

Rufus didn't respond immediately to that question not just because of hesitation, but also because—for the first time—he couldn't remember. It was a foreign feeling, one that did not sit well with Rufus. His grandmother, from whom he learned Memory-Make, told him that their magic would never allow them to forget a single moment, no matter how insignificant.

So why?

Why, when he could remember everything that happened in his life, couldn't he remember the name of his younger sister?

_Why_ didn't he remember her, if he really was an older brother?

_**Why**_ was it that the inability to remember a little girl left him feeling sick to the core?

Jiemma's eyes narrowed at the youth, who took his time to answer. "Well?" The rest of the subordinates looked at Rufus expectantly, begging him silently to reply. Jiemma was not a patient man by nature: if he was kept waiting for too long, who knew what would happen?

Finally, Rufus opened his mouth. "I'm afraid I can't give you that vital information, Master," the masked man said smoothly. Heads turned, eyebrows rose, and Jiemma regarded Rufus with an unsatisfied look that seemed to allow him to explain himself. "It's not that I doubt how well Saber Tooth can keep a secret," Rufus continued, "but I don't believe it to be difficult for any of us to let a name slip to a con artist, especially one with a bribe."

Many of his colleagues seemed to take offense at his remark, feeling insulted that any of them would succumb easily to a money offer. Jiemma, however, had to admire Rufus' astute judgment. The wizards of Saber Tooth had power—physically and magically—but even power could be swayed if it was given enough incentive. "And what about the actors?" he questioned gruffly. "What will you do with them?"

The actors: the people who came to Saber Tooth claiming to be somebody they weren't. Many were smart enough to play on the long-lost relative act; many failed to support their tales; and very few really were the relatives of Saber Tooth wizards.

But this time was different. Now that the whole country knew what he had forgotten—Rufus cringed inside from the thought of such an unpleasant word—he would have young girls lining up to claim their position as his younger sister. Just the thought of it made him want to retch: the girls could be as pleasant as they wanted, but nothing would ever erase their foul intentions.

But among the countless girls to come... what were the chances of his real sister's appearance? And how would he know? Thanks to magic, anyone could change their appearance altogether. Worst of all, he didn't have a name to identify his so-called sister.

However... with each dream and flashback, he had more clues as to who the child was: her appearance, her nature, and what they did together. If they could occur more frequently, then Rufus could stand a chance. "It's quite simple, Master," Rufus decided. "If they pass, give them nothing. But if they lie..."

"Then give them hell," Jiemma finished with an approving sneer. He redirected his attention to the rest of his guild. "Familial ties are unnecessary, but parasites must be stamped out before they are given the chance to thrive. Remember that we aim only for the top. To make the skies roar... to make the earth boil... to make the seas silent." Magic radiated from Saber Tooth's master as a menacing aura. "That is Saber Tooth. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" he bellowed, his voice reverberating throughout the entire guild.

Saber Tooth clamored in response, echoing their master's ideals. Only one man failed to join them as he continued to ponder the course of fate.

Rufus could only stand in silence while the rest of the guild roared to life around him. This was the only chance he had to find his younger sister, but unless he regained memories of her, he had a fool's chance of recognizing the girl.

_Whoever you are...wherever you are_, Rufus thought as he briefly registered Jiemma's dismissal of his subordinates. _This is all I can do for you. For both of us, I need you to return... though I can't guarantee that I will remember your name._

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<strong>

**Retroactive interference**—a phenomenon that occurs when newly learned information interferes with and impedes the recall of previously learned information. (In other words, new memories interfere with how you remember old memories.)

**Now wouldn't it make sense that this could possibly happen to Rufus? The guy remembers everything and he never gets a break from it.**

**Working on the next few chapters of **Remember Me?**, along with **The Unwound Future.

**So, until then!**

**Madam Facilier**


	19. Je t'appelle

**Hello again!**

**I kept my promise from the last chapter and I plan to release a few more chapters to this story before I update **Remember Me?** and **The Unwound Future** together. But the problem is that I always feel like my chapters are lacking something, though I don't know what.**

**Maybe I'm just going through writer's block.**

**I've kept you waiting long enough. On with the story!**

**P.S. **_— _'Je t'appelle' is French for 'I call you (this name)'

* * *

><p><em>~Dream~<em>

_It was strange. When these dreams came, Rufus tried to deny the past that they altered, especially the little girl that his dreams would attempt to insert into his memories. But now he welcomed them with open arms: he needed the details his dreams would provide, if he were to have a chance to find the girl and ward off the con artists._

_In the living room of his childhood home, a family of three sat together, each person with a book before them. A sheet of paper and a pen rested on the coffee table with several words scribbled upon it. Rufus approached the small table and peered at the paper, discovering that it held a list of names. _

_'Then that means...' Rufus chanced a look at his mother, who moved occasionally in her armchair as if trying to find a comfortable position that would finally suit her. However, in every position, her book would rest on her swollen belly, only adding on to her discomfort. If he had the option, he would help his mother over to the couch, but in this situation the real Rufus could only watch as his mother finally found an optimal position and remained in her seat._

_His younger self glanced from his book to his list, squinting his eyes in concentration. "So my little sister's middle name is going to be Conco_—_Concorda_—" _He stumbled over the name a few times, to which his parents and the real Rufus lightly chuckled. _

_"The doctor can be wrong sometimes. Your sister might actually turn out to be a brother, Rufus," his father informed his younger self. "But if the baby really is a girl, her middle name will be Concordance," Mr. Lore enunciated._

_"Con-cor-dance," the younger Rufus repeated slowly. "But...why Concordance, Papa?"_

_"It's a tradition in your mother's side of the family," Mr. Lore said as he skimmed through his book. The real Rufus glanced at the spine of the book, which held the title:_** Minstrel Names and Their Meanings**_. "The first daughter always has a name that means peace." _

_'An odd tradition,' the real Rufus thought while his dream self tilted his head out of curiosity. "Then what's your name, Mama?"_

_His mother smiled kindly at his younger self. "My name is Concordia," she said as she closed her book and set it beside her. "In ancient times, Concordia was the name of a goddess of peace." In Rufus' opinion, his mother certainly lived up to her name. His mother was always gentle, though she could be stern when the situation called for it. Her smiles were reassuring: they seemed to dispel all feelings of unease in a person's heart._

_"How come my sister gets another name?" Young Rufus asked._

_Rufus' father looked up from the book of names. "Your mother and I both wanted another name for your sister, Rufus. Her middle name is only part of a family tradition." Green eyes narrowed before Mr. Lore shook his head. "No, Charlotte wouldn't suit her at all," he muttered._

_Concordia's eyebrows rose after she caught her husband's words. "Charlotte Concordance?" Mrs. Lore wondered out loud, trying out how the name sounded in her mouth. Eyebrows furrowed in doubt before Mrs. Lore shook her head in agreement. "It sounds nice, but...there's something missing."_

_His younger self flipped through his book, eyes skimming through its content until he came across a name. "How about Lily?" the younger Rufus suggested._

_Both of his parents frowned, which made the boy wonder if they didn't like his suggestion. "You...don't like it?" he mumbled sadly._

_Concordia could sense her son's shame and knew that he misinterpreted their consideration as disapproval. "No, no, no, Rufus," she denied in an attempt to rejuvenate her son's optimism. "It's just that_—_well, Lily is a common name. How many girls named Lily do you know in the city?"_

_"Um..." Rufus' younger self counted off every Lily he knew on his fingers. The real Rufus' eyebrows rose while his younger self continued to count into the twenties before he stopped abruptly. "Twenty-two," he reported, "including the teacher, Miss Lily."_

_"See? It's such a common name in Crocus that our Lily will just be another lily in the garden," Concordia explained as gently as she could._

_Mr. Lore snapped his fingers, which caused his wife and his son to look at him abruptly. "And that's our problem, Concordia. Every other name is too normal... and too common." The father rubbed his hands together as the gears in his mind turned. "We need something unusual. We need a name that will make our little girl stand out. What about Liléone?"_

_"You just combined Lily and Léone, didn't you?" Concordia asked._

_"It's a perfect name, don't you think? Our brave little Lily—what do you think, Rufus?" Mr. Lore added to his son._

_The younger Rufus set his book down as he considered the name. "__Liléone__—I could call her Lily Lion," he said, to which the entire family, including the real Rufus, laughed._

* * *

><p>Unfortunately, the dream had to come to an end. Rufus woke up sooner than he would have liked, though he knew the dream wouldn't last forever.<p>

Fortunately, the dream gave him some helpful clues to one vital piece of information: a name.

It was strange: he fretted yesterday over how he wouldn't have a name to identify his sister. Yet his dream answered his unspoken plea, giving him the info he needed to find her.

_In my mother's family_, Rufus thought as he sat up in bed, closing his eyes as he remembered his late father's words, _tradition decrees that the first daughter inherits a "peaceful" name. My mother was Concordia, the lady of peace. And before my younger sister was born, my parents already decided on her middle name:_ Concordance.

Rufus' eyes opened in realization as the memory of his conversation with the baker's wife returned to him.

_"'Funny you should say **concordance**, Rufus. **Concordance** happens to be your younger sister's middle name.'"_

The Memory-Make wizard wanted to hit himself for writing off the old lady's words as a metaphor. Without even knowing it, he already knew his younger sister's middle name. But he simply laughed it off back then, thinking of it as nothing more than a joke. What was he thinking?

_She gave me one other clue to her name_, Rufus thought as the memory of his chat with the baker's wife continued to play in his mind, allowing him a chance to look for anything else that he overlooked. _My parents considered naming her_ _Liléone, but they didn't give her that name, did they?_

Bells seemed to ring in his head as the next clue revealed itself in his memories.

_"'Ah!'"_ _Before he could get up to leave, the baker's wife blurted, "'Not the exact name, but I do remember that she was named after your grandmother, Madame Lore.'"_

_To the villagers in the town where she lived, _Rufus thought as a smile slowly made itself known on his lips, _my grandmother_ _was Madame Phione Lore. _"Until I remember your name," Rufus said, as if he could project his voice to the sister he couldn't recall— the wizard cringed at having to add such a term to his vocabulary— "May I call you...?"


	20. Something's Missing

**Ladies and gentlemen, rebonjour! Madam Facilier is back!**

**I still have to attend graduation, but I'M FINALLY DONE WITH HIGH SCHOOL!**

**I'm getting closer to finishing the next chapter of **The Unwound Future** that I deprived you of for so long. Just two or three more chapters of **Remember Me?** and **The Unwound Future** will return from its hiatus!**

**And now, without further ado, Chapter 20 of **Remember Me? **!**

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><p><strong>X790, May 14<strong>

**Saber Tooth**

Two days had passed since the article on Rufus was published, but Saber Tooth carried on as if the article held no meaning to them.

Rufus, no matter how he much he wished, could not ignore the publication as easily as his colleagues. On one hand, his popularity as a rose so much, he now ranked within the top ten "Mage You Want to Have as a Boyfriend". On the other side of the coin, hoards of visitors—all young girls—would soon come to Saber Tooth to claim the title of Rufus Lore's younger sister.

Just two days ago, he almost panicked, thinking that he wouldn't have enough information on his younger sister in time when the swarms of girls that come his way. But today, Rufus felt more at ease. Yesterday's dream gave him more than just information: it gave him a _name_.

Unfortunately, the dream only gave him a nickname to go by, but Rufus was thankful for that. Even a diminutive was better than having no name at all. Until he could remember her real name using the diminutive as a clue, her nickname would have to stick.

"Nervous, Lore?" Rufus turned in the direction of the voice. Behind the counter, Rietta Devine levitated several serving trays filled with food towards the wizards who ordered them. Even as she worked, the chef could still hold a conversation. "You've been quiet since you entered the guild."

Rufus cocked his head back at her. "If I'm not mistaken, Rietta, I recall you saying that you wouldn't be back for a month," he said calmly.

The chef flashed a smug smile as she held out her hand, allowing serving trays to rest on her palm in an organized stack. "I'm too valuable to this guild, Lore. In fact," she informed while she sent the stack of trays into a cabinet behind her, "even the master knows he can't release me from this guild."

The Memory-Make wizard's eyebrows rose while a curious expression adorned his face. "Go on."

"The best thing you could ever do to make the master look at you with _some_ favor—" Rietta dusted her apron off before she met Rufus' eyes. "—is to exceed expectations." A damp towel hovered out of the kitchen before it planted itself on the counter and proceeded to wipe it clean of any stains. "The missions I chose were _supposed to_ take me a month to complete," she admitted, "but as a mage of Saber Tooth, I took it upon myself to surpass that."

Before Rufus could comment on this, the sound of opening doors brought almost all eyes to a blonde teenage girl crossing the threshold. Unnaturally green eyes scanned the guild, ignoring the scrutinizing sneers that came her way. She was looking for someone—it didn't take a genius to know who she was here for.

"Get ready, Lore," Rietta said disdainfully, peeling her eyes away from the blonde. "Here comes Bluffer Number Two."

As if drawn to Rietta's contemptuous remark, the girl turned her head in their direction at the same time Rufus turned his. Their eyes met, and the girl raced over to where he sat.

"Rufus!" The girl exclaimed as she came to a stop before him, a broad smile on her face. "Rufus, it's me!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Rufus saw Rietta roll her eyes in disgust. As much as Rufus wished to do the same, he was a gentleman—and a gentleman always behaved in the presence of a lady. Setting aside his own annoyance, Rufus decided to take a better look at the girl.

If Rufus had to guess, the girl was around thirteen or fourteen, judging by her developing figure. Her eyes were nowhere near as green as his—this girl had light green eyes with a strange blue tint to them. Rufus' gaze fell to her collar, which was adorned by a golden pendant.

_Most likely one with a photo of me in it_, Rufus thought as a small smile began to adorn his face. The masked gentleman rose from his seat, causing the girl to take a step back. "I've been waiting for you...Sarah."

Rietta's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. The girl, on the other hand, nodded happily in response. "Yup, that's me!"

Rufus smirked inwardly. He held up his right hand and snapped his fingers loudly. Rietta began to laugh as the girl stepped back in shock, only to be grabbed by two guild members. The girl struggled but the two men held her arms tightly, effectively keeping her from running away.

"I don't like to repeat myself," Rufus said, bending down to eye level with the girl, "so listen well. I don't have a sister named _Sarah_. I never did. And I certainly would _never_ tell anyone my sister's name, not even to an actress like you."

"But...but...You tricked me!" the girl cried indignantly, shaking her head for emphasis.

"You were willing to do the same to me," the Memory-Make wizard reminded sternly, returning to full height. "I simply returned the favor."

The girl kicked and screamed as she was dragged out of Saber Tooth by the two wizards who restrained her. While Rufus wanted to feel sorry for what would soon happen to her, he reminded himself that she brought it upon herself the minute she set foot in the guild.

Even without giving the girl a false name to lead her on, Rufus knew she wasn't his younger sister. From a distance, he couldn't see what was missing. He simply needed a closer look at her to confirm his suspicions.

* * *

><p><em>~Flashback~<em>

_Rufus lay on his stomach beside the pink play mat that his newborn sister rested on. He stared curiously into her baby blue eyes, something neither of his parents had. According to his mother, almost all babies were born blue-eyed, and then their actual eye color would appear with the passage of time. Only then would they know if she inherited their mother's amber eyes or their father's dark green ones._

_"_—_Yes, we're all excited, Anton," Rufus heard his mother talking with her brother over the Communications Lacrima. "We were worried when she was born a week early, but thankfully she's healthy. No, we don't know whose eyes she has, Anton. It's too early to tell."_

_Rufus' sister squirmed on her mat as she rubbed her eyes with her tiny fist. The boy's gaze fell on her neck, where a pale brown spot stood out against her pale skin. Apparently, that kind of birthmark was called a giraffe spot. Unable to resist his curiosity, Rufus brushed a finger against her birthmark._

_The baby babbled happily, her own form of laughter, bringing a smile to her brother's face._

_"_—_her birthmark is a sensitive spot," Rufus heard his mother say to his uncle. "She's very ticklish there."_

**Author's Note:**

**In Chapter 14, I wrote that Rietta would be gone for a month, yet in Chapter 18, I "accidentally" brought her back sooner than expected. So I had to edit this chapter so as to explain why she returned early and make the explanation fitting for a mage of Saber Tooth.**


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